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tjjc  game 


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HOUGHTON,   MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY, 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S 


BY 

BRET   HARTE 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 


1894 


Copyright,  1885  and  1886, 
BY  BRET  IIARTE. 

All  rights  reserved. 


FIFTH   EDITION. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass  ,  V.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  0.  Uoughton  &  Company. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 


^  CHAPTER  I. 

\  FOR  some  moments  profound  silence  and 

darkness  had  accompanied  a  Sierran  stage- 
^         coach  towards  the  summit.     The  huge,  dim 
.»          bulk  of  the  vehicle,  swaying  noiselessly  on 
\         its  straps,  glided  onward  and  upward  as  if 
*l         obeying  some  mysterious  impulse  from  be 
hind,  so  faint  and  indefinite  appeared  its  re 
lation  to  the  viewless  and  silent  horses  ahead. 
The  shadowy  trunks  of  tall  trees  that  seemed 
to  approach  the  coach  windows,  look  in,  and 
then  move  hurriedly  away,  were  the  only  dis- 
tinguishable  objects.     Yet  even  these  were 
so  vague  and  unreal  that  they  might  have 
been  the  mere  phantoms  of  some  dream  of 

224698 


4  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

the  half-sleeping  passengers ;  for  the  thickly- 
strewn  needles  of  the  pine,  that  choked  the 
way  and  deadened  all  sound,  yielded  under 
the  silently-crushing  wheels  a  faint  soporific 
odor  that  seemed  to  benumb  their  senses, 
already  slipping  back  into  unconsciousness 
during  the  long  ascent.  Suddenly  the  stage 
stopped. 

Three  of  the  four  passengers  inside  strug 
gled  at  once  into  upright  wakefulness.  The 
fourth  passenger,  John  Hale,  had  not  been 
sleeping,  and  turned  impatiently  towards  the 
window.  It  seemed  to  him  that  two  of  the 
moving  trees  had  suddenly  become  motion 
less  outside.  One  of  them  moved  again,  and 
the  door  opened  quickly  but  quietly,  as  of 
itself. 

"  Git  down,"  said  a  voice  in  the  darkness. 

All  the  passengers  except  Hale  started. 
The  man  next  to  him  moved  his  right  hand 
suddenly  behind  him,  but  as  quickly  stopped. 
One  of  the  motionless  trees  had  apparently 
closed  upon  the  vehicle,  and  what  had  seemed 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  5 

to  be  a  bough  projecting  from  it  at  right 
angles  changed  slowly  into  the  faintly  shin 
ing  double-barrels  of  a  gun  at  the  window. 

"  Drop  that !  "  said  the  voice. 

The  man  who  had  moved  uttered  a  short 
laugh,  and  returned  his  hand  empty  to  his 
knees.  The  two  others  perceptibly  shrugged 
their  shoulders  as  over  a  game  that  was  lost. 
The  remaining  passenger,  John  Hale,  fear 
less  by  nature,  inexperienced  by  habit,  awak 
ing  suddenly  to  the  truth,  conceived  a  des 
perate  resistance.  But  without  his  making 
a  gesture  this  was  instinctively  felt  by  the 
others  ;  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  turned  spon 
taneously  on  him,  and  he  was  vaguely  con 
scious  of  a  certain  contempt  and  impatience 
of  him  in  his  companions. 

"  Git  down,"  repeated  the  voice  impera 
tively. 

The  three  passengers  descended.  Hale, 
furious,  alert,  but  helpless  of  any  opportu« 
nity,  followed.  He  was  surprised  to  find  the 
stage-driver  and  express  messenger  standing 


6  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

beside  him;  lie  had  not  heard  them  dis 
mount.  He  instinctively  looked  towards  the 
horses.  He  could  see  nothing. 

"  Hold  up  your  hands !  " 

One  of  the  passengers  had  already  lifted 
his,  in  a  weary,  perfunctory  way.  The  others 
did  the  same  reluctantly  and  awkwardly, 
but  apparently  more  from  the  consciousness 
of  the  ludicrousness  of  their  attitude  than 
from  any  sense  of  danger.  The  rays  of  a 
bull's-eye  lantern,  deftly  managed  by  invis 
ible  hands,  while  it  left  the  intruders  in 
shadow,  completely  illuminated  the  faces  and 
figures  of  the  passengers.  In  spite  of  the 
majestic  obscurity  and  silence  of  surround 
ing  nature,  the  group  of  humanity  thus  il 
luminated  was  more  farcical  than  dramatic. 
A  scrap  of  newspaper,  part  of  a  sandwich, 
and  an  orange  peel  that  had  fallen  from  the 
floor  of  the  coach,  brought  into  equal  prom 
inence  by  the  searching  light,  completed  the 
absurdity. 

"  There  's  a  man  here  with  a  package  of 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  1 

greenbacks,"  said  the  voice,  with  an  official 
coolness  that  lent  a  certain  suggestion  of 
Custom  House  inspection  to  the  transaction ; 
"who  is  it?"  The  passengers  looked  at 
each  other,  and  their  glance  finally  settled 
on  Hale. 

"  It 's  not  him"  continued  the  voice,  with 
a  slight  tinge  of  contempt  on  the  emphasis. 
"  You  '11  save  time  and  searching,  gentle 
men,  if  you  '11  tote  it  out.  If  we  've  got  to 
go  through  every  one  of  you  we  '11  try  to 
make  it  pay." 

The  significant  threat  was  not  unheeded. 
The  passenger  who  had  first  moved  when 
the  stage  stopped  put  his  hand  to  his  breast. 

"  T'  other  pocket  first,  if  you  please,"  said 
the  voice. 

The  man  laughed,  drew  a  pistol  from  his 
hip  pocket,  and,  under  the  strong  light  of 
the  lantern,  laid  it  on  a  spot  in  the  road  in 
dicated  by  the  voice.  A  thick  envelope, 
taken  from  his  breast  pocket,  was  laid  be 
side  it.  "  I  told  the  d — d  fools  that  gave  it 


8  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

to  me,  instead  of  sending  it  by  express,  it 
would  be  at  their  own  risk,"  he  said  apolo 
getically. 

"  As  it 's  going  with  the  express  now  it 's 
all  the  same,"  said  the  inevitable  humorist 
of  the  occasion,  pointing  to  the  despoiled 
express  treasure-box  already  in  the  road. 

The  intention  and  deliberation  of  the  out 
rage  was  plain  enough  to  Hale's  inexperience 
now.  Yet  he  could  not  understand  the  cool 
acquiescence  of  his  fellow  -  passengers,  and 
was  furious.  His  reflections  were  interrupted 
by  a  voice  which  seemed  to  come  from  a 
greater  distance.  He  fancied  it  was  even 
softer  in  tone,  as  if  a  certain  austerity  was 
relaxed. 

"  Step  in  as  quick  as  you  like,  gentlemen. 
You  've  five  minutes  to  wait,  Bill." 

The  passengers  reentered  the  coach  ;  the 
driver  and  express  messenger  hurriedly 
climbed  to  their  places.  Hale  would  have 
spoken,  but  an  impatient  gesture  from  his 
companions  stopped  him.  They  were  evi« 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  9 

dently  listening  for  something;  he  listened 
too. 

Yet  the  silence  remained  unbroken.  It 
seemed  incredible  that  there  should  be  no 
indication  near  or  far  of  that  forceful  pres 
ence  which  a  moment  ago  had  been  so  domi 
nant.  No  rustle  in  the  wayside  "  brush,"  nor 
echo  from  the  rocky  canon  below,  betrayed 
a  sound  of  their  flight.  A  faint  breeze  stirred 
the  tall  tips  of  the  pines,  a  cone  dropped  on 
the  stage  roof,  one  of  the  invisible  horses 
that  seemed  to  be  listening  too  moved  slightly 
in  his  harness.  But  this  only  appeared  to 
accentuate  the  profound  stillness.  The  mo 
ments  were  growing  interminable,  when  the 
voice,  so  near  as  to  startle  Hale,  broke  once 
more  from  the  surrounding  obscurity. 

"  Good-night !  " 

It  was  the  signal  that  they  were  free.  The 
driver's  whip  cracked  like  a  pistol  shot,  the 
horses  sprang  furiously  forward,  the  huge 
vehicle  lurched  ahead,  and  then  bounded 
violently  after  them.  When  Hale  could 


10  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

make  his  voice  heard  in  the  confusion  —  a 
confusion  which  seemed  greater  from  the 
colorless  intensity  of  their  hist  few  moments' 
experience  —  he  said  hurriedly,  "  Then  that 
fellow  was  there  all  the  time  ?  " 

"I  reckon,"  returned  his  companion,  "he 
stopped  five  minutes  to  cover  the  driver  with 
his  double-barrel,  until  the  two  other  men 
got  off  with  the  treasure." 

"  The  two  others !  "  gasped  Hale.  "  Then 
there  were  only  three  men,  and  we  six." 

The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders.  The 
passenger  who  had  given  up  the  greenbacks 
drawled,  with  a  slow,  irritating  tolerance, 
"  I  reckon  you  're  a  stranger  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  —  to  this  sort  of  thing,  certainly, 
though  I  live  a  dozen  miles  from  here,  at 
Eagle's  Court,"  returned  Hale  scornfully. 

"  Then  you  're  the  chap  that 's  doin'  that 
fancy  ranchin'  over  at  Eagle's,"  continued 
the  man  lazily. 

"  Whatever  I  'm  doing  at  Eagle's  Court, 
I  'm  not  ashamed  of  it,"  said  Hale  tartly ; 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  11 

"  and  that 's  more  than  I  can  say  of  what 
I  've  done  —  or  have  n't  done  —  to-night. 
I  've  been  one  of  six  men  overawed  and 
robbed  by  three" 

"As  to  the  over-awin',  ez  you  call  it  — 
mebbee  you  know  more  about  it  than  us. 
As  to  the  robbin'  —  ez  far  as  I  kin  remem 
ber,  you  have  n't  onloaded  much.  Ef  you  're 
talkin'  about  what  oughter  been  done,  I  '11 
tell  you  what  could  have  happened.  P'r'aps 
ye  noticed  that  when  he  pulled  up  I  made  a 
kind  of  grab  for  my  wepping  behind  me  ?  " 

"  I  did ;  and  you  were  n't  quick  enough," 
said  Hale  shortly. 

"  I  was  n't  quick  enough,  and  that  saved 
you.  For  ef  I  got  that  pistol  out  and  in 
sight  o'  that  man  that  held  the  gun  "  — 

"Well,"  said  Hale  impatiently,  "he'd 
have  hesitated." 

"  He  'd  hev  blown  you  with  both  barrels 
outer  the  window,  and  that  before  I  'd  got  a 
half-cock  on  my  revolver." 

"  But  that  would  have  been  only  one  man 


12  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

gone,  and  there  would  have  been  five  of  you 
left,"  said  Hale  haughtily. 

"  That  might  have  been,  ef  you  'd  con 
tracted  to  take  the  hull  charge  of  two  hand- 
fuls  of  buck-shot  and  slugs;  but  ez  one 
eighth  o'  that  amount  would  have  done  your 
business,  and  yet  left  enough  to  have  gone 
round,  promiskiss,  and  satisfied  the  other  pas 
sengers,  it  would  n't  do  to  kalkilate  upon." 

"But  the  express  messenger  and  the 
driver  were  armed,"  continued  Hale. 

"They  were  armed,  but  not  fixed;  that 
makes  all  the  difference." 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  I  reckon  you  know  what  a  duel  is  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  the  chances  agin  us  was  about  the 
same  as  you  'd  have  ef  you  was  put  up  agin 
another  chap  who  was  allowed  to  draw  a 
bead  on  you,  and  the  signal  to  fire  was  your 
drawing  your  weapon.  You  may  be  a 
stranger  to  this  sort  o'  thing,  and  p'r'aps 
you  never  fought  a  duel,  but  even  then  you 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  13 

would  n't  go  foolin'  your  life  away  on  any 
such  chances." 

Something  in  the  man's  manner,  as  in  a 
certain  sly  amusement  the  other  passengers 
appeared  to  extract  from  the  conversation, 
impressed  Hale,  already  beginning  to  be 
conscious  of  the  ludicrous  insufficiency  of  his 
own  grievance  beside  that  of  his  interlocutor. 

"  Then  you  mean  to  say  this  thing  is  in 
evitable,"  said  he  bitterly,  but  less  aggres 
sively. 

"Ez  long  ez  they  hunt  you;  when  you 
hunt  them  you  've  got  the  advantage,  allus 
provided  you  know  how  to  get  at  them  ez 
well  as  they  know  how  to  get  at  you.  This 
yer  coach  is  bound  to  go  regular,  and  on 
certain  days.  They  ain't.  By  the  time  the 
sheriff  gets  out  his  posse  they  've  skedad 
dled,  and  the  leader,  like  as  not,  is  takin' 
his  quiet  cocktail  at  the  Bank  Exchange,  or 
mebbee  losin'  his  earnings  to  the  sheriff 
over  draw  poker,  in  Sacramento.  You  see 
you  can't  prove  anything  agin  them  unless 


14  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

you  take  them  'on  the  fly.'  It  may  be  a 
part  of  Joaquim  Murietta's  band,  though  I 
would  n't  swear  to  it." 

"The  leader  might  have  been  Gentleman 
George,  from  up-country,"  interposed  a  pas 
senger.  "He  seemed  to  throw  in  a  few 
fancy  touches,  particlerly  in  that  'Good 
night.'  Sorter  chucked  a  little  sentiment  in 
it.  Did  n't  seem  to  be  the  same  thing  ez, 
'  Git  yer  d — d  suckers,'  on  the  other  line." 

"  Whoever  he  was,  he  knew  the  road  and 
the  men  who  travelled  on  it.  Like  ez  not, 
he  went  over  the  line  beside  the  driver  on 
the  box  on  the  down  trip,  and  took  stock  of 
everything.  He  even  knew  I  had  those 
greenbacks;  though  they  were  handed  to 
me  in  the  bank  at  Sacramento.  He  must 
have  been  hangin'  round  there." 

For  some  moments  Hale  remained  silent. 
He  was  a  civic-bred  man,  with  an  intense 
love  of  law  and  order ;  the  kind  of  man  who 
is  the  first  to  take  that  law  and  order  into 
his  own  hands  when  he  does  not  find  it  ex- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  15 

isting  to  please  him.  He  had  a  Bostonian's 
respect  for  respectability,  tradition,  arid  pro 
priety,  but  was  willing  to  face  irregularity 
and  impropriety  to  create  order  elsewhere. 
He  was  fond  of  Nature  with  these  limita 
tions,  never  quite  trusting  her  unguided  in 
stincts,  and  finding  her  as  an  instructress 
greatly  inferior  to  Harvard  University, 
though  possibly  not  to  Cornell.  With  daunt 
less  enterprise  and  energy  he  had  built  and 
stocked  a  charming  cottage  farm  in  a  nook 
in  the  Sierras,  whence  he  opposed,  like  the 
lesser  Englishman  that  he  was,  his  own 
tastes  to  those  of  the  alien  West.  In  the 
present  instance  he  felt  it  incumbent  upon 
him  not  only  to  assert  his  principles,  but  to 
act  upon  them  with  his  usual  energy.  How 
far  he  was  impelled  by  the  half -contemptu 
ous  passiveness  of  his  companions  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say. 

"  What  is  to  prevent  the  pursuit  of  them 
at  once?"  he  asked  suddenly.  "  We  are  a 
few  miles  from  the  station,  where  horses  can 
be  procured." 


16  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  Who  's  to  do  it  ?  "  replied  the  other 
lazily.  "  The  stage  company  will  lodge  the 
complaint  with  the  authorities,  but  it  will 
take  two  days  to  get  the  county  officers  out, 
and  it 's  nobody  else's  funeral." 

"I  will  go  for  one,"  said  Hale  quietly. 
"  I  have  a  horse  waiting  for  me  at  the  sta 
tion,  and  can  start  at  once." 

There  was  an  instant  of  silence.  The 
stage-coach  had  left  the  obscurity  of  the 
forest,  and  by  the  stronger  light  Hale  could 
perceive  that  his  companion  was  examining 
him  with  two  colorless,  lazy  eyes.  Pres 
ently  he  said,  meeting  Hale's  clear  glance, 
but  rather  as  if  yielding  to  a  careless  reflec 
tion,  - 

"  It  might  be  done  with  four  men.  We 
oughter  raise  one  man  at  the  station."  He 
paused.  "  I  don't  know  ez  I  'd  mind  tak 
ing  a  hand  myself,"  he  added,  stretching 
out  his  legs  with  a  slight  yawn. 

"Ye  can  count  me  in,  if  you  're  goin', 
Kernel.  I  reckon  I  'in  talkin'  to  Kernel 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  17 

Clinch,"  said  the  passenger  beside  Hale  with 
sudden  alacrity.  "  I  'm  Rawlins,  of  Frisco. 
Heerd  of  ye  afore,  Kernel,  and  kinder 
spotted  you  jist  now  from  your  talk." 

To  Hale's  surprise  the  two  men,  after 
awkwardly  and  perfunctorily  grasping  each 
other's  hand,  entered  at  once  into  a  languid 
conversation  on  the  recent  election  at  Fresno, 
without  the  slightest  further  reference  to  the 
pursuit  of  the  robbers.  It  was  not  until 
the  remaining  and  undenominated  passenger 
turned  to  Hale,  and,  regretting  that  he  had 
immediate  business  at  the  Summit,  offered 
to  accompany  the  party  if  they  would  wait 
a  couple  of  hours,  that  Colonel  Clinch  briefly 
returned  to  the  subject. 

"  Four  men  will  do,  and  ez  we  '11  hev  to 
take  horses  from  the  station  we  '11  hev  to 
take  the  fourth  man  from  there." 

With  these  words  he  resumed  his  unin 
teresting  conversation  with  the  equally  un 
interested  Rawlius,  and  the  undenominated 
passenger  subsided  into  an  admiring  and 


18  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

dreamy  contemplation  of  them  both.  With 
all  his  principle  and  really  high-minded  pur 
pose,  Hale  could  not  help  feeling  constrained 
and  annoyed  at  the  sudden  subordinate  and 
auxiliary  position  to  which  he,  the  projector 
of  the  enterprise,  had  been  reduced.  It  was 
true  that  he  had  never  offered  himself  as 
their  leader ;  it  was  true  that  the  principle 
he  wished  to  uphold  and  the  effect  he  sought 
to  obtain  would  be  equally  demonstrated 
Tinder  another ;  it  was  true  that  the  execu 
tion  of  his  own  conception  gravitated  by 
some  occult  impulse  to  the  man  who  had  not 
sought  it,  and  whom  he  had  always  regarded 
as  an  incapable.  But  all  this  was  so  unlike 
precedent  or  tradition  that,  after  the  fashion 
of  conservative  men,  he  was  suspicious  of  it, 
and  only  that  his  honor  was  now  involved 
he  would  have  withdrawn  from  the  enter 
prise.  There  was  still  a  chance  of  reassert 
ing  himself  at  the  station,  where  he  was 
known,  and  where  some  authority  might  be 
deputed  to  him. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  19 

But  even  this  prospect  failed.  The  sta 
tion,  half  hotel  and  half  stable,  contained 
only  the  landlord,  who  was  also  express 
agent,  and  the  new  volunteer  whom  Clinch 
had  suggested  would  be  found  among  the 
stable-men.  The  nearest  justice  of  the  peace 
was  ten  miles  away,  and  Hale  had  to  aban 
don  even  his  hope  of  being  sworn  in  as  a 
deputy  constable.  This  introduction  of  a 
common  and  illiterate  ostler  into  the  party 
on  equal  terms  with  himself  did  not  add  to 
his  satisfaction,  and  a  remark  from  Rawlins 
seemed  to  complete  his  embarrassment. 

"Ye  had  a  mighty  narrer  escape  down 
there  just  now,"  said  that  gentleman  confi 
dentially,  as  Hale  buckled  his  saddle  girths. 

"  I  thought,  as  we  were  not  supposed  to 
defend  ourselves,  there  was  no  danger,"  said 
Hale  scornfully. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  them  road  agents. 
But  him." 

"Who?" 

"  Kernel  Clinch.  You  jist  ez  good  as  al 
lowed  he  had  n't  any  grit." 


20  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  Whatever  I  said,  I  suppose  I  am  respon 
sible  for  it,"  answered  Hale  haughtily. 

"  That  's  what  gits  me,"  was  the  imper 
turbable  reply.  "  He  's  the  best  shot  in 
Southern  California,  and  hez  let  daylight 
through  a  dozen  chaps  afore  now  for  half 
what  you  said." 

"Indeed!" 

"  Howsummever,"  continued  Rawlins  phil 
osophically,  "  ez  he  's  concluded  to  go  with 
ye  instead  of  for  ye,  you  're  likely  to  hev 
your  ideas  on  this  matter  carried  out  up 
to  the  handle.  He  '11  make  short  work  of 
it,  you  bet.  Ef ,  ez  I  suspect,  the  leader  is 
an  airy  young  feller  from  Frisco,  who  hez 
took  to  the  road  lately,  Clinch  hez  got  a  per 
sonal  grudge  agin  him  from  a  quarrel  over 
draw  poker." 

This  was  the  last  blow  to  Hale's  ideal 
crusade.  Here  he  was  —  an  honest,  respect 
able  citizen  —  engaged  as  simple  accessory 
to  a  lawless  vendetta  originating  at  a  gam 
bling  table  !  When  the  first  shock  was  over 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  21 

that  grim  philosophy  which  is  the  reaction 
of  all  imaginative  and  sensitive  natures  came 
to  his  aid.  He  felt  better;  oddly  enough 
he  began  to  be  conscious  that  he  was  think 
ing  and  acting  like  his  companions.  With 
this  feeling  a  vague  sympathy,  before  ab 
sent,  faintly  showed  itself  in  their  actions. 
The  Sharpe's  rifle  put  into  his  hands  by  the 
stable-man  was  accompanied  by  a  familiar 
word  of  suggestion  as  to  an  equal,  which  he 
was  ashamed  to  find  flattered  him.  He  was 
able  to  continue  the  conversation  with  Raw- 
lins  more  coolly. 

"  Then  you  suspect  who  is  the  leader  ?  " 
"  Only  on  giniral  principles.  There  was 
a  finer  touch,  so  to  speak,  in  this  yer  rob 
bery  that  was  n't  in  the  old-fashioned  style. 
Down  in  my  country  they  hed  crude  ideas 
about  them  things  —  used  to  strip  the  pas 
sengers  of  everything,  includin'  their  clothes. 
They  say  that  at  the  station  hotels,  when  the 
coach  came  in,  the  folks  used  to  stand  round 
with  blankets  to  wrap  up  the  passengers  so 


22  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

ez  not  to  skeer  the  wimen.  Thar  's  a  story 
that  the  driver  and  express  manager  drove 
up  one  day  with  only  a  copy  of  the  Alty 
Calif orny  wrapped  around  'em ;  but  thin," 
added  Rawlins  grimly,  "  there  was  folks  ez 
said  the  hull  story  was  only  an  advertisement 
got  up  for  the  Alty" 

"Time 'sup." 

"  Are  you  ready,  gentlemen  ?  "  said  Colo 
nel  Clinch. 

Hale  started.  He  had  forgotten  his  wife 
and  family  at  Eagle's  Court,  ten  miles  away. 
They  would  be  alarmed  at  his  absence, 
would  perhaps  hear  some  exaggerated  ver 
sion  of  the  stage  coach  robbery,  and  fear  the 
worst. 

"  Is  there  any  way  I  could  send  a  line  to 
Eagle's  Court  before  daybreak  ?  "  he  asked 
eagerly. 

The  station  was  already  drained  of  its 
spare  men  and  horses.  The  undenominated 
passenger  stepped  forward  and  offered  to 
take  it  himself  when  his  business,  which  he 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  23 

would  despatch  as  quickly  as  possible,  was 
concluded. 

"  That  ain't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Clinch  re 
flectively,  "  for  ef  yer  hurry  you  '11  head  'em 
off  in  case  they  scent  us,  and  try  to  double 
back  on  the  North  Ridge.  They  '11  fight  shy 
of  the  trail  if  they  see  anybody  on  it,  and 
one  man  's  as  good  as  a  dozen." 

Hale  could  not  help  thinking  that  he 
might  have  been  that  one  man,  and  had  his 
opportunity  for  independent  action  but  for 
his  rash  proposal,  but  it  was  too  late  to  with 
draw  now.  He  hastily  scribbled  a  few  lines 
to  his  wife  on  a  sheet  of  the  station  paper, 
handed  it  to  t-he  man,  and  took  his  place  in 
the  little  cavalcade  as  it  filed  silently  down 
the  road. 

They  had  ridden  in  silence  for  nearly  an 
hour,  and  had  passed  the  scene  of  the  rob 
bery  by  a  higher  track.  Morning  had  long 
ago  advanced  its  colors  on  the  cold  white 
peaks  to  their  right,  and  was  taking  posses 
sion  of  the  spur  where  they  rode. 


24  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  It  looks  like  snow,"  said  Rawlins  quietly. 

Hale  turned  towards  him  in  astonishment. 
Nothing  on  earth  or  sky  looked  less  likely. 
It  had  been  cold,  but  that  might  have  been 
only  a  current  from  the  frozen  peaks  beyond, 
reaching  the  lower  valley.  The  ridge  on 
which  they  had  halted  was  still  thick  with 
yellowish  -  green  summer  foliage,  mingled 
with  the  darker  evergreen  of  pine  and  fir. 
Oven-like  canons  in  the  long  flanks  of  the 
mountain  seemed  still  to  glow  with  the  heat 
of  yesterday's  noon ;  the  breathless  air  yet 
trembled  and  quivered  over  stifling  gorges 
and  passes  in  the  granite  rocks,  while  far  at 
their  feet  sixty  miles  of  perpetual  summer 
stretched  away  over  the  winding  American 
River,  now  and  then  lost  in  a  gossamer  haze. 
It  was  scarcely  ripe  October  where  they 
stood  ;  they  could  see  the  plenitude  of  Au 
gust  still  lingering  in  the  valleys. 

"I  've  seen  Thomson's  Pass  choked  up 
with  fifteen  feet  o'  snow  earlier  than  this," 
said  Rawlins,  answering  Hale's  gaze  ;  "  and 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  25 

last  September  the  passengers  sledded  over 
the  road  we  came  last  night,  and  all  the  time 
Thomson,  a  mile  lower  down  over  the  ridge 
in  the  hollow,  smoking  his  pipes  under  roses 
in  his  piazzy!  Mountains  is  mighty  un 
certain  ;  they  make  their  own  weather  ez 
they  want  it.  I  reckon  you  ain't  wintered 
here  yet." 

Hale  was  obliged  to  admit  that  he  had 
only  taken  Eagle's  Court  in  the  early  spring. 

"  Oh,  you  're  all  right  at  Eagle's  —  when 
you  're  there  !  But  it  's  like  Thomson's  — 

it  's  the  gettin'  there  that Hallo ! 

What's  that?" 

A  shot,  distant  but  distinct,  had  rung 
through  the  keen  air.  It  was  followed  by 
another  so  alike  as  to  seem  an  echo. 

"  That 's  over  yon,  on  the  North  Ridge," 
said  the  ostler,  "  about  two  miles  as  the 
crow  flies  and  five  by  the  trail.  Somebody  's 
shootin'  b'ar." 

"  Not  with  a  shot  gun,"  said  Clinch, 
quickly  wheeling  his  horse  with  a  gesture 


26  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

that  electrified  them.  "  It  's  them,  and  they 
Ve  doubled  on  us!  To  the  North  Ridge, 
gentlemen,  and  ride  all  you  know !  " 

It  needed  no  second  challenge  to  com 
pletely  transform  that  quiet  cavalcade.  The 
wild  man -hunting  instinct,  inseparable  to 
most  humanity,  rose  at  their  leader's  look 
and  word.  With  an  incoherent  and  unin 
telligible  cry,  giving  voice  to  the  chase  like 
the  commonest  hound  of  their  fields,  the  or 
der-loving  Hale  and  the  philosophical  Raw- 
lins  wheeled  with  the  others,  and  in  another 
instant  the  little  band  swept  out  of  sight  in 
the  forest. 

An  immense  and  immeasurable  quiet  suc 
ceeded.  The  sunlight  glistened  silently  on 
cliff  and  scar,  the  vast  distance  below  seemed 
to  stretch  out  and  broaden  into  repose.  It 
might  have  been  fancy,  but  over  the  sharp 
line  of  the  North  Ridge  a  light  smoke  lifted 
as  of  an  escaping  soul. 


CHAPTER  H. 

EAGLE'S  COURT,  one  of  the  highest  canons 
of  the  Sierras,  was  in  reality  a  plateau  of  ta 
ble-land,  embayed  like  a  green  lake  in  a  semi 
circular  sweep  of  granite,  that,  lifting  itself 
three  thousand  feet  higher,  became  a  foun 
dation  for  the  eternal  snows.  The  mountain 
genii  of  space  and  atmosphere  jealously 
guarded  its  seclusion  and  surrounded  it  with 
illusions ;  it  never  looked  to  be  exactly  what 
it  was :  the  traveller  who  saw  it  from  the 
North  Ridge  apparently  at  his  feet  in  de 
scending  found  himself  separated  from  it  by 
a  mile-long  abyss  and  a  rushing  river ;  those 
who  sought  it  by  a  seeming  direct  trail  at 
the  end  of  an  hour  lost  sight  of  it  completely, 
or,  abandoning  the  quest  and  retracing  their 
steps,  suddenly  came  upon  the  gap  through 
which  it  was  entered.  That  which  from  the 


28  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

Ridge  appeared  to  be  a  copse  of  bushes  be 
side  the  tiny  dwelling  were  trees  three  hun 
dred  feet  high;  the  cultivated  lawn  before 
it,  which  might  have  been  covered  by  the 
traveller's  handkerchief,  was  a  field  of  a 
thousand  acres. 

The  house  itself  was  a  long,  low,  irregular 
structure,  chiefly  of  roof  and  veranda,  pic 
turesquely  upheld  by  rustic  pillars  of  pine, 
with  the  bark  still  adhering,  and  covered 
with  vines  and  trailing  roses.  Yet  it  was 
evident  that  the  coolness  produced  by  this 
vast  extent  of  cover  was  more  than  the  ar 
chitect,  who  had  planned  it  under  the  influ 
ence  of  a  staring  and  bewildering  sky,  had 
trustfully  conceived,  for  it  had  to  be  miti 
gated  by  blazing  fires  in  open  hearths  when 
the  thermometer  marked  a  hundred  degrees 
in  the  field  beyond.  The  dry,  restless  wind 
that  continually  rocked  the  tall  masts  of  the 
pines  with  a  sound  like  the  distant  sea,  while 
it  stimulated  out-door  physical  exertion  and 
defied  fatigue,  left  the  sedentary  dwellers  in 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  29 

these  altitudes  chilled  in  the  shade  they 
courted,  or  scorched  them  with  heat  when 
they  ventured  to  bask  supinely  in  the  sun. 
White  muslin  curtains  at  the  French  win 
dows,  and  rugs,  skins,  and  heavy  furs  dis 
persed  in  the  interior,  with  certain  other 
charming  but  incongruous  details  of  furni 
ture,  marked  the  inconsistencies  of  the  cli 
mate. 

There  was  a  coquettish  indication  of  this  in 
the  costume  of  Miss  Kate  Scott  as  she  stepped 
out  on  the  veranda  that  morning.  A  man's 
broad-brimmed  Panama  hat,  partly  unsexed 
by  a  twisted  gayly-colored  scarf,  but  retain 
ing  enough  character  to  give  piquancy  to  the 
pretty  curves  of  the  face  beneath,  protected 
her  from  the  sun ;  a  red  flannel  shirt  —  an 
other  spoil  from  the  enemy  —  and  a  thick 
jacket  shielded  her  from  the  austerities  of 
the  morning  breeze.  But  the  next  inconsis 
tency  was  peculiarly  her  own.  Miss  Kate 
always  wore  the  freshest  and  lightest  of 
white  cambric  skirts,  without  the  least  refer- 


2  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

chains  she  thought  she  had  thrown  off.  In 
stead  of  learning  anything  from  them,  these 
children  of  nature  had  bored  her  with  eager 
questionings  regarding  the  civilization  she 
had  abandoned,  or  irritated  her  with  crude 
imitations  of  it  for  her  benefit.  "  Fancy," 
she  had  written  to  a  friend  in  Boston,  "  my 
calling  on  Sue  Murphy,  who  remembered  the 
Donner  tragedy,  and  who  once  shot  a  grizzly 
that  was  prowling  round  her  cabin,  and  think 
of  her  begging  me  to  lend  her  my  sack  for 
a  pattern,  and  wanting  to  know  if  '  polonays  ' 
were  still  worn."  She  remembered  more  bit 
terly  the  romance  that  had  tickled  her  ear 
lier  fancy,  told  of  two  college  friends  of  her 
brother-in-law's  who  were  living  the  "  per 
fect  life "  in  the  mines,  laboring  in  the 
ditches  with  a  copy  of  Homer  in  their  pock 
ets,  and  writing  letters  of  the  purest  philoso 
phy  under  the  free  air  of  the  pines.  How, 
coming  unexpectedly  on  them  in  their  Arca 
dia,  the  party  found  them  unpresentable 
through  dirt,  and  thenceforth  unknowable 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  33 

through  domestic  complications  that  had 
filled  their  Arcadian  cabin  with  half-bred 
children. 

Much  of  this  disillusion  she  had  kept 
within  her  own  heart,  from  a  feeling  of  pride, 
or  only  lightly  touched  upon  it  in  her  rela 
tions  with  her  mother  and  sister.  For  Mrs. 
Hale  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  no  idols  to  shatter, 
no  enthusiasm  to  subdue.  Firmly  and  un 
alterably  conscious  of  their  own  superiority 
to  the  life  they  led  and  the  community  that 
surrounded  them,  they  accepted  their  duties 
cheerfully,  and  performed  them  conscien 
tiously.  Those  duties  were  loyalty  to  Hale's 
interests  and  a  vague  missionary  work  among 
the  neighbors,  which,  like  most  missionary 
work,  consisted  rather  in  making  their  own 
ideas  understood  than  in  understanding  the 
ideas  of  their  audience.  Old  Mrs.  Scott's 
zeal  was  partly  religious,  an  inheritance  from 
her  Puritan  ancestry ;  Mrs.  Hale's  was  the 
affability  of  a  gentlewoman  and  the  obliga 
tion  of  her  position.  To  this  was  added  the 


34  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

slight  languor  of  the  cultivated  American 
wife,  whose  health  has  been  affected  by  the 
birth  of  her  first  child,  and  whose  views  of 
marriage  and  maternity  were  slightly  tinged 
with  gentle  scepticism.  She  was  sincerely 
attached  to  her  husband,  "who  dominated 
the  household  "  like  the  rest  of  his  "  women 
folk,"  with  the  faint  consciousness  of  that 
division  of  service  which  renders  the  posi 
tion  of  the  sultan  of  a  seraglio  at  once  so 
prominent  and  so  precarious.  The  attitude 
of  John  Hale  in  his  family  circle  was  domi 
nant  because  it  had  never  been  subjected  to 
criticism  or  comparison ;  and  perilous  for 
the  same  reason. 

Mrs.  Hale  presently  joined  her  sister  in 
the  veranda,  and,  shading  her  eyes  with  a 
narrow  white  hand,  glanced  on  the  prospect 
with  a  polite  interest  and  ladylike  urbanity. 
The  searching  sun,  which,  as  Miss  Kate  once 
intimated,  was  "  vulgarity  itself,"  stared  at 
her  in  return,  but  could  not  call  a  blush  to 
her  somewhat  sallow  cheek.  Neither  could 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  35 

it  detract,  however,  from  the  delicate  pretti- 
ness  of  her  refined  face  with  its  soft  gray 
shadows,  or  the  dark  gentle  eyes,  whose  blue- 
veined  lids  were  just  then  wrinkled  into  co- 
quettishly  mischievous  lines  by  the  strong 
light.  She  was  taller  and  thinner  than  Kate, 
and  had  at  times  a  certain  shy,  coy  sinuosity 
of  movement  which  gave  her  a  more  virginal 
suggestion  than  her  unmarried  sister.  For 
Miss  Kate,  from  her  earliest  youth,  had  been 
distinguished  by  that  matronly  sedateness  of 
voice  and  step,  and  completeness  of  figure, 
which  indicates  some  members  of  the  gal 
linaceous  tribe  from  their  callow  infancy. 

"I  suppose  John  must  have  stopped  at 
the  Summit  on  some  business,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale,  "  or  he  would  have  been  here  already. 
It 's  scarcely  worth  while  waiting  for  him, 
unless  you  choose  to  ride  over  and  meet  him. 
You  might  change  your  dress,"  she  con 
tinued,  looking  doubtfully  at  Kate's  costume. 
"  Put  on  your  riding-habit,  and  take  Manuel 
with  you." 


34  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLETS. 

slight  languor  of  the  cultivated  American 
wife,  whose  health  has  been  affected  by  the 
birth  of  her  first  child,  and  whose  views  of 
marriage  and  maternity  were  slightly  tinged 
with  gentle  scepticism.  She  was  sincerely 
attached  to  her  husband,  "who  dominated 
the  household  "  like  the  rest  of  his  "  women 
folk,"  with  the  faint  consciousness  of  that 
division  of  service  which  renders  the  posi 
tion  of  the  sultan  of  a  seraglio  at  once  so 
prominent  and  so  precarious.  The  attitude 
of  John  Hale  in  his  family  circle  was  domi 
nant  because  it  had  never  been  subjected  to 
criticism  or  comparison ;  and  perilous  for 
the  same  reason. 

Mrs.  Hale  presently  joined  her  sister  in 
the  veranda,  and,  shading  her  eyes  with  a 
narrow  white  hand,  glanced  on  the  prospect 
with  a  polite  interest  and  ladylike  urbanity. 
The  searching  sun,  which,  as  Miss  Kate  once 
intimated,  was  "  vulgarity  itself,"  stared  at 
her  in  return,  but  could  not  call  a  blush  to 
her  somewhat  sallow  cheek.  Neither  could 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  35 

it  detract,  however,  from  the  delicate  pretti- 
ness  of  her  refined  face  with  its  soft  gray 
shadows,  or  the  dark  gentle  eyes,  whose  blue- 
veined  lids  were  just  then  wrinkled  into  co- 
quettishly  mischievous  lines  by  the  strong 
light.  She  was  taller  and  thinner  than  Kate, 
and  had  at  times  a  certain  shy,  coy  sinuosity 
of  movement  which  gave  her  a  more  virginal 
suggestion  than  her  unmarried  sister.  For 
Miss  Kate,  from  her  earliest  youth,  had  been 
distinguished  by  that  matronly  sedateness  of 
voice  and  step,  and  completeness  of  figure, 
which  indicates  some  members  of  the  gal 
linaceous  tribe  from  their  callow  infancy. 

"I  suppose  John  must  have  stopped  at 
the  Summit  on  some  business,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale,  "  or  he  would  have  been  here  already. 
It 's  scarcely  worth  while  waiting  for  him, 
unless  you  choose  to  ride  over  and  meet  him. 
You  might  change  your  dress,"  she  con 
tinued,  lo'oking  doubtfully  at  Kate's  costume. 
"  Put  on  your  riding-habit,  and  take  Manuel 
with  you." 


36  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  And  take  the  only  man  we  have,  and 
leave  you  alone?"  returned  Kate  slowly. 
"No!" 

"  There  are  the  Chinese  field  hands,"  said 
Mrs.  Hale;  "you  must  correct  your  ideas, 
and  really  allow  them  some  humanity,  Kate. 
John  says  they  have  a  very  good  compulsory 
school  system  in  their  own  country,  and  can 
read  and  write." 

"  That  would  be  of  little  use  to  you  here 
alone  if  —  if  " Kate  hesitated. 

"  If  what  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  smiling. 
"Are  you  thinking  of  Manuel's  dreadful 
story  of  the  grizzly  tracks  across  the  fields 
this  morning  ?  I  promise  you  that  neither 
I,  nor  mother,  nor  Minnie  shall  stir  out  of 
the  house  until  you  return,  if  you  wish  it." 

"  I  was  n't  thinking  of  that,"  said  Kate  ; 
"  though  I  don't  believe  the  beating  of  a 
gong  and  the  using  of  strong  language  is  the 
best  way  to  frighten  a  grizzly  from  the  house. 
Besides,  the  Chinese  are  going  down  the 
river  to-day  to  a  funeral,  or  a  wedding,  or  a 


SNOW-BOUND  AT   EAGLE'S.  37 

feast  of  stolen  chickens  —  they  're  all  the 
same  —  and  won't  be  here." 

"  Then  take  Manuel,"  repeated  Mrs.  Hale. 
"  We  have  the  Chinese  servants  and  Indian 
Molly  in  the  house  to  protect  us  from  Heaven 
knows  what !  I  have  the  greatest  confidence 
in  Chy-Lee  as  a  warrior,  and  in  Chinese  war 
fare  generally.  One  has  only  to  hear  him 
pipe  in  time  of  peace  to  imagine  what  a  terror 
he  might  become  in  war  time.  Indeed,  any 
thing  more  deadly  and  soul-harrowing  than 
that  love  song  he  sang  for  us  last  night  I 
cannot  conceive.  But  really,  Kate,  I  am  not 
afraid  to  stay  alone.  You  know  what  John 
says:  we  ought  to  be  always  prepared  for 
anything  that  might  happen." 

"  My  dear  Josie,"  returned  Kate,  putting 
her  arm  around  her  sister's  waist,  "I  am 
perfectly  convinced  that  if  three  -  fingered 
Jack,  or  two-toed  Bill,  or  even  Joaquim  Mu- 
rietta  himself,  should  step,  red-handed,  on 
that  veranda,  you  would  gently  invite  him 
to  take  a  cup  of  tea,  inquire  about  the  state 


38  SNOW-SOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

of  the  road,  and  refrain  delicately  from  any 
allusions  to  the  sheriff.  But  I  sha'n't  take 
Manuel  from  you.  I  really  cannot  under 
take  to  look  after  his  morals  at  the  station, 
and  keep  him  from  drinking  aguardiente 
with  suspicious  characters  at  the  bar.  It  is 
true  he  '  kisses  my  hand '  in  his  speech,  even 
when  it  is  thickest,  and  offers  his  back  to 
me  for  a  horse-block,  but  I  think  I  prefer 
the  sober  and  honest  familiarity  of  even  that 
Pike  County  landlord  who  is  satisfied  to 
say,  '  Jump,  girl,  and  I  '11  ketch  ye  !  " 

"  I  hope  you  did  n't  change  your  manner 
to  either  of  them  for  that,"  said  Mrs.  Hale 
with  a  faint  sigh.  "  John  wants  to  be  good 
friends  with  them,  and  they  are  behaving 
quite  decently  lately,  considering  that  they 
can't  speak  a  grammatical  sentence  nor 
know  the  use  of  a  fork." 

"  And  now  the  man  puts  on  gloves  and  a 
tall  hat  to  come  here  on  Sundays,  and  the 
woman  won't  call  until  you  've  called  first," 
retorted  Kate ;  "  perhaps  you  call  that  im- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  39 

provement.  The  fact  is,  Josephine,"  con 
tinued  the  young  girl,  folding  her  arms  de 
murely,  "  we  might  as  well  admit  it  at  once 
—  these  people  don't  like  us." 

"  That  's  impossible !  "  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
with  sublime  simplicity.  "  You  don't  like 
them,  you  mean." 

"  I  like  them  better  than  you  do,  Josie, 
and  that 's  the  reason  why  /  feel  it  and 
you  don't."  She  checked  herself,  and  after 
a  pause  resumed  in  a  lighter  tone :  "  No ;  I 
sha'n't  go  to  the  station ;  I  '11  commune  with 
nature  to-day,  and  won't  'take  any  human 
ity  in  mine,  thank  you,'  as  Bill  the  driver 
says.  Adios." 

"  I  wish  Kate  would  not  use  that  dreadful 
slang,  even  in  jest,"  said  Mrs.  -  Scott,  in  her 
rocking-chair  at  the  French  window,  when 
Josephine  reentered  the  parlor  as  her  sister 
walked  briskly  away.  "  I  am  afraid  she  is 
being  infected  by  the  people  at  the  station. 
She  ought  to  have  a  change." 

"I  was   just  thinking,"   said  Josephine, 


40  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

looking  abstractedly  at  her  mother,  "  that  I 
would  try  to  get  John  to  take  her  to  San 
Francisco  this  winter.  The  Careys  are  ex 
pected,  you  know ;  she  might  visit  them." 

"  I  'm  afraid,  if  she  stays  here  much 
longer,  she  won't  care  to  see  them  at  all. 
She  seems  to  care  for  nothing  now  that  she 
ever  liked  before,"  returned  the  old  lady 
ominously. 

Meantime  the  subject  of  these  criticisms 
was  carrying  away  her  own  reflections  tightly 
buttoned  up  in  her  short  jacket.  She  had 
driven  back  her  dog  Spot  —  another  one 
of  her  disillusions,  who,  giving  way  to  his 
lower  nature,  had  once  killed  a  sheep  —  as 
she  did  not  wish  her  Jacques-like  contempla 
tion  of  any  wounded  deer  to  be  inconsistently 
interrupted  by  a  fresh  outrage  from  her 
companion.  The  air  was  really  very  chilly, 
and  for  the  first  time  in  her  mountain  ex 
perience  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  seemed 
to  be  shorn  of  their  power.  This  compelled 
her  to  walk  more  briskly  than  she  was  con- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  41 

scions  of,  for  in  less  than  an  hour  she  came 
suddenly  and  breathlessly  upon  the  mouth 
of  the  canon,  or  natural  gateway  to  Eagle's 
Court. 

To  her  always  a  profound  spectacle  of 
mountain  magnificence,  it  seemed  to-day  al 
most  terrible  in  its  cold,  strong  grandeur. 
The  narrowing  pass  was  choked  for  a  mo 
ment  between  two  gigantic  buttresses  of 
granite,  approaching  each  other  so  closely  at 
their  towering  summits  that  trees  growing 
in  opposite  clefts  of  the  rock  intermingled 
their  branches  and  pointed  the  soaring 
Gothic  arch  of  a  stupendous  gateway.  She 
raised  her  eyes  with  a  quickly  beating 
heart.  She  knew  that  the  interlacing  trees 
above  her  were  as  large  as  those  she  had 
just  quitted;  she  knew  also  that  the  point 
where  they  met  was  only  half  way  up  the 
cliff,  for  she  had  once  gazed  down  upon 
them,  dwindled  to  shrubs  from  the  airy  sum 
mit  ;  she  knew  that  their  shaken  cones  fell 
a  thousand  feet  perpendicularly,  or  bounded 


42  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

like  shot  from  the  scarred  walls  they  bom* 
barded.  She  remembered  that  one  of  these 
pines,  dislodged  from  its  high  foundations, 
had  once  dropped  like  a  porteullis  in  the 
archway,  blocking  the  pass,  and  was  only 
carried  afterwards  by  assault  of  steel  and 
fire.  Bending  her  head  mechanically,  she 
ran  swiftly  through  the  shadowy  passage, 
and  halted  only  at  the  beginning  of  the  as 
cent  on  the  other  side. 

It  was  here  that  the  actual  position  of  the 
plateau,  so  indefinite  of  approach,  began  to 
be  realized.  It  now  appeared  an  indepen 
dent  elevation,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
gorges  and  watercourses,  so  narrow  as  to 
be  overlooked  from  the  principal  mountain 
range,  with  which  it  was  connected  by  a 
long  canon  that  led  to  the  Ridge.  At  the 
outlet  of  this  canon — in  bygone  ages  a 
mighty  river  —  it  had  the  appearance  of 
having  been  slowly  raised  by  the  diluvium 
of  that  river,  and  the  debris  washed  down 
from  above  —  a  suggestion  repeated  in  mini- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  43 

ature  by  the  artificial  plateaus  of  excavated 
soil  raised  before  the  mouths  of  mining  tun 
nels  in  the  lower  flanks  of  the  mountain.  It 
was  the  realization  of  a  fact  —  often  forgot 
ten  by  the  dwellers  in  Eagle's  Court  —  that 
the  valley  below  them,  which  was  their  con 
necting  link  with  the  surrounding  world,  was 
only  reached  by  ascending  the  mountain,  and 
the  nearest  road  was  over  the  higher  moun 
tain  ridge.  Never  before  had  this  impressed 
itself  so  strongly  upon  the  young  girl  as 
when  she  turned  that  morning  to  look  upon 
the  plateau  below  her.  It  seemed  to  illus 
trate  the  conviction  that  had  been  slowly 
shaping  itself  out  of  her  reflections  on  the 
conversation  of  that  morning.  It  was  pos 
sible  that  the  perfect  understanding  of  a 
higher  life  was  only  reached  from  a  height 
still  greater,  and  that  to  those  half-way  up 
the  mountain  the  summit  was  never  as  truth 
fully  revealed  as  to  the  humbler  dwellers  in 
the  valley. 

I  do  not  know  that  these  profound  truths 


44  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

prevented  her  from  gathering  some  quaint 
ferns  and  berries,  or  from  keeping  her  calm 
gray  eyes  open  to  certain  practical  changes 
that  were  taking  place  around  her.  She  had 
noticed  a  singular  thickening  in  the  atmos 
phere  that  seemed  to  prevent  the  passage  of 
the  sun's  rays,  yet  without  diminishing  the 
transparent  quality  of  the  air.  The  distant 
snow-peaks  were  as  plainly  seen,  though  they 
appeared  as  if  in  moonlight.  This  seemed 
due  to  no  cloud  or  mist,  but  rather  to  a  fad 
ing  of  the  sun  itself.  The  occasional  flurry 
of  wings  overhead,  the  whirring  of  larger 
birds  in  the  cover,  and  a  frequent  rustling  in 
the  undergrowth,  as  of  the  passage  of  some 
stealthy  animal,  began  equally  to  attract  her 
attention.  It  was  so  different  from  the  ha 
bitual  silence  of  these  sedate  solitudes.  Kate 
had  no  vague  fear  of  wild  beasts ;  she  had 
been  long  enough  a  mountaineer  to  under 
stand  the  general  immunity  enjoyed  by  the 
unmolesting  wayfarer,  and  kept  her  way  un 
dismayed.  She  was  descending  an  abrupt 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  45 

trail  when  she  was  stopped  by  a  sudden 
crash  in  the  bushes.  It  seemed  to  come 
from  the  opposite  incline,  directly  in  a  line 
with  her,  and  apparently  on  the  very  trail 
that  she  was  pursuing.  The  crash  was  then 
repeated  again  and  again  lower  down,  as  of 
a  descending  body.  Expecting  the  appari 
tion  of  some  fallen  tree,  or  detached  boulder 
bursting  through  the  thicket,  in  its  way  to 
the  bottom  of  the  gulch,  she  waited.  The 
foliage  was  suddenly  brushed  aside,  and  a 
large  grizzly  bear  half  rolled,  half  waddled, 
into  the  trail  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hill. 
A  few  moments  more  would  have  brought 
them  face  to  face  at  the  foot  of  the  gulch ; 
when  she  stopped  there  were  not  fifty  yards 
between  them. 

She  did  not  scream  ;  she  did  not  faint ; 
she  was  not  even  frightened.  There  did  not 
seem  to  be  anything  terrifying  in  this  huge, 
stupid  beast,  who,  arrested  by  the  rustle  of 
a  stone  displaced  by  her  descending  feet, 
slowly  on  his  haunches  and  gazed  at 


46  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

her  with  small,  wondering  eyes.  Nor  did 
it  seem  strange  to  her,  seeing  that  he  was 
in  her  way,  to  pick  up  a  stone,  throw  it  in 
his  direction,  and  say  simply,  u  Sho !  get 
away !  "  as  she  would  have  done  to  an  in 
truding  cow.  Nor  did  it  seem  odd  that  he 
should  actually  "  go  away  "  as  he  did,  scram 
bling  back  into  the  bushes  again,  and  disap 
pearing  like  some  grotesque  figure  in  a  trans 
formation  scene.  It  was  not  until  after  he 
had  gone  that  she  was  taken  with  a  slight 
nervousness  and  giddiness,  and  retraced  her 
steps  somewhat  hurriedly,  shying  a  little  at 
every  rustle  in  the  thicket.  By  the  time 
she  had  reached  the  great  gateway  she  was 
doubtful  whether  to  be  pleased  or  frightened 
at  the  incident,  but  she  concluded  to  keep 
it  to  herself. 

It  was  still  intensely  cold.  The  light  of 
the  midday  sun  had  decreased  still  more, 
and  on  reaching  the  plateau  again  she  saw 
that  a  dark  cloud,  not  unlike  the  precursor 
of  a  thunder-storm,  was  brooding  over  the 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  47 

snowy  peaks  beyond.  In  spite  of  the  cold 
this  singular  suggestion  of  summer  phenom 
ena  was  still  borne  out  by  the  distant  smil 
ing  valley,  and  even  in  the  soft  grasses  at 
her  feet.  It  seemed  to  her  the  crowning  in 
consistency  of  the  climate,  and  with  a  half- 
serious,  half-playful  protest  on  her  lips  she 
hurried  forward  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the 
house. 


CHAPTEK  HI. 

To  Kate's  surprise,  the  lower  part  of  the 
house  was  deserted,  but  there  was  an  un 
usual  activity  on  the  floor  above,  and  the 
sound  of  heavy  steps.  There  were  alien 
marks  of  dusty  feet  on  the  scrupulously 
clean  passage,  and  on  the  first  step  of  the 
stairs  a  spot  of  blood.  With  a  sudden  genu 
ine  alarm  that  drove  her  previous  adventure 
from  her  mind,  she  impatiently  called  her 
sister's  name.  There  was  a  hasty  yet  sub 
dued  rustle  of  skirts  on  the  staircase,  and 
Mrs.  Hale,  with  her  finger  on  her  lip,  swept 
Kate  unceremoniously  into  the  sitting-room, 
closed  the  door,  and  leaned  back  against  it, 
with  a  faint  smile.  She  had  a  crumpled 
paper  in  her  hand. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  but  read  that  first," 
she  said,  handing  her  sister  the  paper.  "  It 
was  brought  just  now." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  49 

Kate  instantly  recognized  her  brother's 
distinct  hand.  She  read  hurriedly,  "  The 
coach  was  robbed  last  night ;  nobody  hurt. 
I  've  lost  nothing  but  a  day's  time,  as  this 
business  will  keep  me  here  until  to-morrow, 
when  Manuel  can  join  me  with  a  fresh  horse. 
No  cause  for  alarm.  As  the  bearer  goes 
out  of  his  way  to  bring  you  this,  see  that  he 
wants  for  nothing." 

"  "Well,"  said  Kate  expectantly. 

"  Well,  the  '  bearer '  was  fired  upon  by 
the  robbers,  who  were  lurking  on  the  Ridge. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  leg.  Luckily  he 
was  picked  up  by  his  friend,  who  was  com 
ing  to  meet  him,  and  brought  here  as  the 
nearest  place.  He 's  up-stairs  in  the  spare 
bed  in  the  spare  room,  with  his  friend,  who 
won't  leave  his  side.  He  won't  even  have 
mother  in  the  room.  They  've  stopped  the 
bleeding  with  John's  ambulance  things,  and 
now,  Kate,  here  's  a  chance  for  you  to  show 
the  value  of  your  education  in  the  ambu 
lance  class.  The  ball  has  got  to  be  ex 
tracted.  Here 's  your  opportunity." 


60  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

Kate  looked  at  her  sister  curiously.  There 
was  a  faint  pink  flush  on  her  pale  cheeks, 
and  her  eyes  were  gently  sparkling.  She 
had  never  seen  her  look  so  pretty  before. 

"  Why  not  have  sent  Manuel  for  a  doctor 
at  once  ?  "  asked  Kate. 

"  The  nearest  doctor  is  fifteen  miles  away, 
and  Manuel  is  nowhere  to  be  found.  Per 
haps  he 's  gone  to  look  after  the  stock. 
There  's  some  talk  of  snow  ;  imagine  the  ab 
surdity  of  it ! " 

"  But  who  are  they  ?  " 

"  They  speak  of  themselves  as  '  friends,' 
as  if  it  were  a  profession.  The  wounded  one 
was  a  passenger,  I  suppose." 

"But  what  are  they  like?"  continued 
Kate.  "  I  suppose  they  're  like  them  all." 

Mrs.  Hale  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  The  wounded  one,  when  he  's  not  faint 
ing  away,  is  laughing.  The  other  is  a  crea 
ture  with  a  moustache,  and  gloomy  beyond 
expression." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?  " 
said  Kate. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  51 

.  "  What  should  I  do  ?  Even  without 
John's  letter  I  could  not  refuse  the  shelter 
of  my  house  to  a  wounded  and  helpless  man. 
I  shall  keep  him,  of  course,  until  John 
comes.  Why,  Kate,  I  really  believe  you  are 
so  prejudiced  against  these  people  you'd 
like  to  turn  them  out.  But  I  forget !  It 's 
because  you  like  them  so  well.  Well,  you 
need  not  fear  to  expose  yourself  to  the  fasci 
nations  of  the  wounded  Christy  Minstrel  — 
I  'm  sure  he  's  that  —  or  to  the  unspeakable 
one,  who  is  shyness  itself,  and  would  not 
dare  to  raise  his  eyes  to  you." 

There  was  a  timid,  hesitating  step  in  the 
passage.  It  paused  before  the  door,  moved 
away,  returned,  and  finally  asserted  its  in 
tentions  in  the  gentlest  of  taps. 

"  It 's  him ;  I  'm  sure  of  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale,  with  a  suppressed  smile. 

Kate  threw  open  the  door  smartly,  to  the 
extreme  discomfiture  of  a  tall,  dark  figure 
that  already  had  slunk  away  from  it.  For 
all  that,  he  was  a  good-looking  enough  fel- 


52  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

low,  with  a  moustache  as  long  and  almost  as 
flexible  as  a  ringlet.  Kate  could  not  help 
noticing  also  that  his  hand,  which  was  ner 
vously  pulling  the  moustache,  was  white  and 
thin. 

"Excuse  me,"  he  stammered,  without 
raising  his  eyes,  "  I  was  looking  for  —  for 

—  the  old  lady.    I  —  I  beg  your  pardon.    I 
did  n't  know  that  you  —  the  young  ladies 

—  company  —  were  here.     I  intended  —  I 
only  wanted  to  say  that  my  friend  " —     He 
stopped   at   the    slight    smile    that    passed 
quickly  over  Mrs.   Hale's   mouth,  and   his 
pale  face  reddened  with  an  angry  flush. 

"  I  hope  he  is  not  worse,"  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
with  more  than  her  usual  languid  gentle 
ness.  "  My  mother  is  not  here  at  present. 
Can  I  —  can  we  —  this  is  my  sister  —  do  as 
well?" 

Without  looking  up  he  made  a  constrained 
recognition  of  Kate's  presence,  that,  embar 
rassed  and  curt  as  it  was,  had  none  of  the 
awkwardness  of  rusticity. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  53 

"  Thank  you ;  you  're  very  kind.  But  my 
friend  is  a  little  stronger,  and  if  you  can  lend 
me  an  extra  horse  I  '11  try  to  get  him  on  the 
Summit  to-night." 

"  But  you  surely  will  not  take  him  away 
from  us  so  soon  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale,  with  a 
languid  look  of  alarm,  in  which  Kate,  how 
ever,  detected  a  certain  real  feeling.  "  Wait 
at  least  until  my  husband  returns  to-mor 
row." 

"  He  won't  be  here  to-morrow,"  said  the 
stranger  hastily.  He  stopped,  and  as  quickly 
corrected  himself.  "  That  is,  his  business  is 
so  very  uncertain,  my  friend  says." 

Only  Kate  noticed  the  slip ;  but  she  no 
ticed  also  that  her  sister  was  apparently  un 
conscious  of  it.  "  You  think,"  she  said, 
"  that  Mr.  Hale  may  be  delayed  ?  " 

He  turned  upon  her  almost  brusquely.  "  I 
mean  that  it  is  already  snowing  up  there  ;  " 
he  pointed  through  the  window  to  the  cloud 
Kate  had  noticed ;  "  if  it  comes  down  lower 
in  the  pass  the  roads  will  be  blocked  up. 


54  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

That  is  why  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  try 
and  get  on  at  once." 

"  But  if  Mr.  Hale  is  likely  to  be  stopped 
by  snow,  so  are  you,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  play 
fully  ;  "  and  you  had  better  let  us  try  to 
make  your  friend  comfortable  here  rather 
than  expose  him  to  that  uncertainty  in  his 
weak  condition.  We  will  do  our  best  for 
him.  My  sister  is  dying  for  an  opportunity 
to  show  her  skill  in  surgery,"  she  continued, 
with  an  unexpected  mischievousness  that 
only  added  to  Kate's  surprised  embarrass 
ment.  "  Are  n't  you,  Kate  ?  " 

Equivocal  as  the  young  girl  knew  her  si 
lence  appeared,  she  was  unable  to  utter  the 
simplest  polite  evasion.  Some  unaccounta 
ble  impulse  kept  her  constrained  and  speech 
less.  The  stranger  did  not,  however,  wait 
for  her  reply,  but,  casting  a  swift,  hurried 
glance  around  the  room,  said,  "  It 's  impos 
sible  ;  we  must  go.  In  fact,  I  've  already 
taken  the  liberty  to  order  the  horses  round. 
They  are  at  the  door  now.  You  may  be  cer- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  55 

tain,"  he  added,  with  quick  earnestness,  sud 
denly  lifting  his  dark  eyes  to  Mrs.  Hale, 
and  as  rapidly  withdrawing  them,  "  that  your 
horse  will  be  returned  at  once,  and  —  and 
—  we  won't  forget  your  kindness."  He 
stopped  and  turned  towards  the  hall.  "I  — 
I  have  brought  my  friend  down-stairs.  He 
wants  to  thank  you  before  he  goes." 

As  he  remained  standing  in  the  hall  the 
two  women  stepped  to  the  door.  To  their 
surprise,  half  reclining  on  a  cane  sofa  was 
the  wounded  man,  and  what  could  be  seen 
of  his  slight  figure  was  wrapped  in  a  dark 
serajie.  His  beardless  face  gave  him  a  quaint 
boyishness  quite  inconsistent  with  the  mature 
lines  of  his  temples  and  forehead.  Pale,  and 
in  pain,  as  he  evidently  was,  his  blue  eyes 
twinkled  with  intense  amusement.  Not  only 
did  his  manner  offer  a  marked  contrast  to 
the  sombre  uneasiness  of  his  companion,  but 
he  seemed  to  be  the  only  one  perfectly  at  his 
ease  in  the  group  around  him. 

"  It 's  rather  rough  making  you  come  out 


56  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

here  to  see  me  off,"  he  said,  with  a  not  un 
musical  laugh  that  was  very  infectious,  "  but 
Ned  there,  who  carried  me  down -stairs, 
wanted  to  tote  me  round  the  house  in  his 
arms  like  a  baby  to  say  ta-ta  to  you  all.  Ex 
cuse  my  not  rising,  but  I  feel  as  uncertain 
below  as  a  mermaid,  and  as  out  of  my  ele 
ment,"  he  added,  with  a  mischievous  glance 
at  his  friend.  "Ned  concluded  I  must  go 
on.  But  I  must  say  good-by  to  the  old  lady 
first.  Ah !  here  she  is." 

To  Kate's  complete  bewilderment,  not  only 
did  the  utter  familiarity  of  this  speech  pass 
unnoticed  and  unrebuked  by  her  sister,  but 
actually  her  own  mother  advanced  quickly 
with  every  expression  of  lively  sympathy, 
and  with  the  authority  of  her  years  and  an 
almost  maternal  anxiety  endeavored  to  dis 
suade  the  invalid  from  going.  "  This  is  not 
my  house,"  she  said,  looking  at  her  daugh 
ter,  "  but  if  it  were  I  should  not  hear  of 
your  leaving,  not  only  to-night,  but  until 
you  were  out  of  danger.  Josephine  !  Kate ! 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  57 

What  are  you  thinking  of  to  permit  it? 
Well,  then,  /forbid  it  —  there  !  " 

Had  they  become  suddenly  insane,  or  were 
they  bewitched  by  this  morose  intruder  and 
his  insufferably  familiar  confidant?  The  man 
was  wounded,  it  was  true  ;  they  might  have 
to  put  him  up  in  common  humanity;  but 
here  was  her  austere  mother,  who  would  n't 
come  in  the  room  when  Whisky  Dick  called 
on  business,  actually  pressing  both  of  the  in 
valid's  hands,  while  her  sister,  who  never  ex 
tended  a  finger  to  the  ordinary  visiting  hu 
manity  of  the  neighborhood,  looked  on  with 
evident  complacency. 

The  wounded  man  suddenly  raised  Mrs. 
Scott's  hand  to  his  lips,  kissed  it  gently,  and, 
with  his  smile  quite  vanished,  endeavored  to 
rise  to  his  feet.  "  It 's  of  no  use  —  we  must 
go.  Give  me  your  arm,  Ned.  Quick  !  Are 
the  horses  there  ?  " 

"  Dear  me,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  quickly,  "  I 
forgot  to  say  the  horse  cannot  be  found  any 
where.  Manuel  must  have  taken  him  this 


58  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

morning  to  look  up  the  stock.  But  he  will 
be  back  to-night  certainly,  and  if  to-mor 
row  "  — 

The  wounded  man  sank  back  to  a  sitting 
position.  "  Is  Manuel  your  man  ?  "  he 
asked  grimly. 

"Yes." 

The  two  men  exchanged  glances. 

"  Marked  on  his  left  cheek  and  drinks  a 
good  deal  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Kate,  finding  her  voice. 
"Why?" 

The  amused  look  came  back  to  the  man's 
eyes.  "  That  kind  of  man  is  n't  safe  to  wait 
for.  We  must  take  our  own  horse,  Ned. 
Are  you  ready  ?  " 

"Yes." 

The  wounded  man  again  attempted  to 
rise.  He  fell  back,  but  this  time  quite 
heavily.  He  had  fainted 

Involuntarily  and  simultaneously  the  three 
women  rushed  to  his  side.  "  He  cannot  go," 
said  Kate  suddenly. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  59 

"  He  will  be  better  in  a  moment." 

"  But  only  for  a  moment.  Will  nothing 
induce  you  to  change  your  mind  ?  " 

As  if  in  reply  a  sudden  gust  of  wind 
brought  a  volley  of  rain  against  the  window. 

"  That  will,"  said  the  stranger  bitterly. 

"  The  rain  ?  " 

"  A  mile  from  here  it  is  snow  ;  and  be 
fore  we  could  reach  the  Summit  with  these 
horses  the  road  would  be  impassable." 

He  made  a  slight  gesture  to  himself,  as  if 
accepting  an  inevitable  defeat,  and  turned 
to  his  companion,  who  was  slowly  reviving 
under  the  active  ministration  of  the  two 
women.  The  wounded  man  looked  around 
with  a  weak  smile.  "  This  is  one  way  of 
going  off,"  he  said  faintly,  "  but  I  could  do 
this  sort  of  thing  as  well  on  the  road." 

"  You  can  do  nothing  now,"  said  his 
friend,  decidedly.  "  Before  we  get  to  the 
Gate  the  road  will  be  impassable  for  our 
horses." 

"  For  any  horses  ?  "  asked  Kate. 


60  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  For  any  horses.  For  any  man  or  beast 
I  might  say.  Where  we  cannot  get  out,  no 
one  can  get  in,"  he  added,  as  if  answering 
her  thoughts.  "  I  am  afraid  that  you  won't 
see  your  brother  to-morrow  morning.  But 
I  '11  reconnoitre  as  soon  as  I  can  do  so  with 
out  torturing  him,"  he  said,  looking  anx 
iously  at  the  helpless  man  ;  "  he  's  got  about 
his  share  of  pain,  I  reckon,  and  the  first 
thing  is  to  get  him  easier."  It  was  the 
longest  speech  he  had  made  to  her ;  it  was 
the  first  time  he  had  fairly  looked  her  in 
the  face.  His  shy  restlessness  had  suddenly 
given  way  to  dogged  resignation,  less  ab 
stracted,  but  scarcely  more  flattering  to  his 
entertainers.  Lifting  his  companion  gently 
in  his  arms,  as  if  he  had  been  a  child,  he 
reascended  the  staircase,  Mrs.  Scott  and  the 
hastily-summoned  Molly  following  with  over 
flowing  solicitude.  As  soon  as  they  were 
alone  in  the  parlor  Mrs.  Hale  turned  to 
her  sister :  "  Only  that  our  guests  seemed 
to  be  as  anxious  to  go  just  now  as  you  were 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  61 

to  pack  them  off,  I  should  have  been  shocked 
at  your  inhospitality.  What  has  come  over 
you,  Kate  ?  These  are  the  very  people  you 
have  reproached  me  so  often  with  not  being 
civil  enough  to." 

"  But  who  are  they  ?  " 

"  How  do  I  know?  There  is  your  brother's 
letter." 

She  usually  spoke  of  her  husband  as 
"  John."  This  slight  shifting  of  relation 
ship  and  responsibility  to  the  feminine  mind 
was  significant.  Kate  was  a  little  frightened 
and  remorseful. 

"  I  only  meant  you  don't  even  know  their 
names." 

"  That  was  n't  necessary  for  giving  them 
a  bed  and  bandages.  Do  you  suppose  the 
good  Samaritan  ever  asked  the  wounded 
Jew's  name,  and  that  the  Levite  did  not 
excuse  himself  because  the  thieves  had  taken 
the  poor  man's  card-case?  Do  the  direc 
tions,  '  In  case  of  accident,'  in  your  ambu 
lance  rules,  read,  '  First  lay  the  sufferer  on 


62  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

his  back  and  inquire  his  name  and  family 
connections  '  ?  Besides,  you  can  call  one 
4  Ned '  and  the  other  '  George,'  if  you  like." 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean,"  said  Kate, 
irrelevantly.  "  Which  is  George  ?  " 

"  George  is  the  wounded  man,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale ;  "  not  the  one  who  talked  to  you  more 
than  he  did  to  any  one  else.  I  suppose  the 
poor  man  was  frightened  and  read  dismissal 
in  your  eyes." 

"  I  wish  John  were  here." 

"  1  don't  think  we  have  anything  to'  fear 
in  his  absence  from  men  whose  only  wish  is 
to  get  away  from  us.  If  it  is  a  question  of 
propriety,  my  dear  Kate,  surely  there  is  the 
presence  of  mother  to  prevent  any  scandal 
—  although  really  her  own  conduct  with  the 
wounded  one  is  not  above  suspicion,"  she 
added,  with  that  novel  mischievousness  that 
seemed  a  return  of  her  lost  girlhood.  "  We 
must  try  to  do  the  best  we  can  with  them 
and  for  them,"  she  said  decidedly,  "  and 
meantime  I  '11  see  if  I  can't  arrange  John's 
room  for  them." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  63 

"  John's  room  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mother  is  perfectly  satisfied ;  in 
deed,  suggested  it.  It  's  larger  and  will 
hold  two  beds,  for  '  Ned,'  the  friend,  must 
attend  to  him  at  night.  And,  Kate,  don't 
you  think,  if  you  're  not  going  out  again, 
you  might  change  your  costume  ?  It  does 
very  well  while  we  are  alone  "  — 

"  Well,"  said  Kate  indignantly,  "  as  I  am 
not  going  into  his  room  "  — 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  about  that,  if  we  can't 
get  a  regular  doctor.  But  he  is  very  restless, 
and  wanders  all  over  the  house  like  a  timid 
and  apologetic  spaniel." 

"  Who  ?  " 

"  Why  «  Ned.'  But  I  must  go  and  look 
after  the  patient.  I  suppose  they  've  got 
him  safe  in  his  bed  again,"  and  with  a  nod 
to  her  sister  she  tripped  up-stairs. 

Uncomfortable  and  embarrassed,  she  knew 
not  why,  Kate  sought  her  mother.  But  that 
good  lady  was  already  in  attendance  on  the 
patient,  and  Kate  hurried  past  that  baleful 


64  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

centre  of  attraction  with  a  feeling  of  lone 
liness  and  strangeness  she  had  never  experi 
enced  before.  Entering  her  own  room  she 
went  to  the  window  —  that  first  and  last  ref 
uge  of  the  troubled  mind  —  and  gazed  out. 
Turning  her  eyes  in  the  direction  of  her 
morning's  walk,  she  started  back  with  a 
sense  of  being  dazzled.  She  rubbed  first  her 
eyes  and  then  the  rain-dimmed  pane.  It  was 
no  illusion  !  The  whole  landscape,  so  famil 
iar  to  her,  was  one  vast  field  of  dead,  color 
less  white!  Trees,  rocks,  even  distance  it 
self,  had  vanished  in  those  few  hours.  An 
even,  shadowless,  motionless  white  sea  filled 
the  horizon.  On  either  side  a  vast  wall  of 
snow  seemed  to  shut  out  the  world  like  a 
shroud.  Only  the  green  plateau  before  her, 
with  its  sloping  meadows  and  fringe  of  pines 
and  cotton  wood,  lay  alone  like  a  summer  isl 
and  in  this  frozen  sea. 

A  sudden  desire  to  view  this  phenomenon 
more  closely,  and  to  learn  for  herself  the 
limits  of  this  new  tethered  life,  completely 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  65 

possessed  her,  and,  accustomed  to  act  upon 
her  independent  impulses,  she  seized  a  hooded 
waterproof  cloak,  and  slipped  out  of  the 
house  unperceived.  The  rain  was  falling 
steadily  along  the  descending  trail  where  she 
walked,  but  beyond,  scarcely  a  mile  across 
the  chasm,  the  wintry  distance  began  to  con 
fuse  her  brain  with  the  inextricable  swarm 
ing  of  snow.  Hurrying  down  with  feverish 
excitement,  she  at  last  came  in  sight  of  the 
arching  granite  portals  of  their  domain.  But 
her  first  glance  through  the  gateway  showed 
it  closed  as  if  with  a  white  portcullis.  Kate 
remembered  that  the  trail  began  to  ascend 
beyond  the  arch,  and  knew  that  what  she 
saw  was  only  the  mountain  side  she  had 
partly  climbed  this  morning.  But  the  snow 
had  already  crept  down  its  flank,  and  the 
exit  by  trail  was  practically  closed.  Breath 
lessly  making  her  way  back  to  the  highest 
part  of  the  plateau  —  the  cliff  behind  the 
house  that  here  descended  abruptly  to  the 
rain-dimmed  valley  —  she  gazed  at  the  dizzy 


66  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

depths  in  vain  for  some  undiscovered  or  for 
gotten  trail  along  its  face.  But  a  single 
glance  convinced  her  of  its  inaccessibility. 
The  gateway  was  indeed  their  only  outlet 
to  the  plain  below.  She  looked  back  at  the 
falling  snow  beyond  until  she  fancied  she 
could  see  in  the  crossing  and  recrossing  lines 
the  moving  meshes  of  a  fateful  web  woven 
around  them  by  viewless  but  inexorable 
fingers. 

Half  frightened,  she  was  turning  away, 
when  she  perceived,  a  few  paces  distant,  the 
figure  of  the  stranger,  "Ned,"  also  appar 
ently  absorbed  in  the  gloomy  prospect.  He 
was  wrapped  in  the  clinging  folds  of  a  black 
serape  braided  with  silver ;  the  broad  flap  of 
a  slouched  hat  beaten  back  by  the  wind  ex 
posed  the  dark,  glistening  curls  on  his  white 
forehead.  He  was  certainly  very  handsome 
and  picturesque,  and  that  apparently  without 
effort  or  consciousness.  Neither  was  there 
anything  in  his  costume  or  appearance  in 
consistent  with  his  surroundings,  or,  even 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  67 

with  what  Kate  could  judge  were  his  habits 
or  position.  Nevertheless,  she  instantly  de 
cided  that  he  was  too  handsome  and  too  pic 
turesque,  without  suspecting  that  her  ideas 
of  the  limits  of  masculine  beauty  were  merely 
personal  experience. 

As  he  turned  away  from  the  cliff  they 
were  brought  face  to  face.  "  It  does  n't 
look  very  encouraging  over  there,"  he  said 
quietly,  as  if  the  inevitableness  of  the  situ 
ation  had  relieved  him  of  his  previous  shy 
ness  and  effort ;  "  it 's  even  worse  than  I  ex 
pected.  The  snow  must  have  begun  there 
last  night,  and  it  looks  as  if  it  meant  to 
stay."  He  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
lifting  his  eyes  to  her,  said  :  —  "I  suppose 
you  know  what  this  means  ?  " 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  I  thought  not.  Well !  it  means  that  you 
are  absolutely  cut  off  here  from  any  commu 
nication  or  intercourse  with  any  one  outside 
of  that  canon.  By  this  time  the  snow  is  five 
feet  deep  over  the  only  trail  by  which  one 


68  SNOW-BOUND   AT  EAGLE'S. 

can  pass  in  and  out  of  that  gateway.  I  am 
not  alarming  you,  I  hope,  for  there  is  no  real 
physical  danger ;  a  place  like  this  ought  to 
be  well  garrisoned,  and  certainly  is  self-sup 
porting  so  far  as  the  mere  necessities  and 
even  comforts  are  concerned.  You  have 
wood,  water,  cattle,  and  game  at  your  com 
mand,  but  for  two  weeks  at  least  you  are 
completely  isolated." 

"  For  two  weeks,"  said  Kate,  growing 
pale  —  "  and  my  brother !  " 

"  He  knows  all  by  this  time,  and  is  prob 
ably  as  assured  as  I  am  of  the  safety  of  his 
family." 

"  For  two  weeks,"  continued  Kate  ;  "  im 
possible  !  You  don't  know  my  brother  !  He 
will  find  some  way  to  get  to  us." 

"  I  hope  so,"  returned  the  stranger  grave 
ly,  "  for  what  is  possible  for  him  is  possible 
for  us." 

"Then  you  are  anxious  to  get  away," 
Kate  could  not  help  saying. 

"Very." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  69 

The  reply  was  not  discourteous  in  man 
ner,  but  was  so  far  from  gallant  that  Kate 
felt  a  new  and  inconsistent  resentment.  Be 
fore  she  could  say  anything  he  added,  "  And 
I  hope  you  will  remember,  whatever  may 
happen,  that  I  did  my  best  to  avoid  staying 
here  longer  than  was  necessary  to  keep  my 
friend  from  bleeding  to  death  in  the  road." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Kate ;  then  added  awk 
wardly,  "  I  hope  he  '11  be  better  soon."  She 
was  silent,  and  then,  quickening  her  pace, 
said  hurriedly,  "  I  must  tell  my  sister  this 
dreadful  news." 

"  I  think  she  is  prepared  for  it.  If  there 
is  anything  I  can  do  to  help  you  I  hope  you 
will  let  me  know.  Perhaps  I  may  be  of 
some  service.  I  shall  begin  by  exploring  the 
trails  to-morrow,  for  the  best  service  we  can 
do  you  possibly  is  to  take  ourselves  off;  but 
I  can  carry  a  gun,  and  the  woods  are  full  of 
game  driven  down  from  the  mountains.  Let 
me  show  you  something  you  may  not  have 
noticed."  He  stopped,  and  pointed  to  a 


70  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

small  knoll  of  sheltered  shrubbery  and  gran 
ite  on  the  opposite  mountain,  which  still  re 
mained  black  against  the  surrounding  snow. 
It  seemed  to  be  thickly  covered  with  mov 
ing  objects.  "  They  are  wild  animals  driven 
out  of  the  snow,"  said  the  stranger.  "  That 
larger  one  is  a  grizzly  ;  there  is  a  panther, 
wolves,  wild  cats,  a  fox,  and  some  mountain 
goats." 

"  An  ill-assorted  party,"  said  the  young 
girl. 

"  111  luck  makes  them  companions.  They 
are  too  frightened  to  hurt  one  another  now." 

"  But  they  will  eat  each  other  later  on," 
said  Kate,  stealing  a  glance  at  her  compan 
ion. 

He  lifted  his  long  lashes  and  met  her 
eyes.  "  Not  on  a  haven  of  refuge." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

KATE  found  her  sister,  as  the  stranger 
had  intimated,  fully  prepared.  A  hasty  in 
ventory  of  provisions  and  means  of  subsist 
ence  showed  that  they  had  ample  resources 
for  a  much  longer  isolation. 

"  They  tell  me  it  is  by  no  means  an  un 
common  case,  Kate  ;  somebody  over  at  some 
body's  place  was  snowed  in  for  four  weeks, 
and  now  it  appears  that  even  the  Summit 
House  is  not  always  accessible.  John  ought 
to  have  known  it  when  he  bought  the  place ; 
in  fact,  I  was  ashamed  to  admit  that  he  did 
not.  But  that  is  like  John  to  prefer  his  own 
theories  to  the  experience  of  others.  How 
ever,  I  don't  suppose  we  should  even  notice 
the  privation  except  for  the  mails.  It  will 
be  a  lesson  to  John,  though.  As  Mr.  Lee 
says,  he  is  on  the  outside,  and  can  probably 


72  SNOW-BOUffD  AT  EAGLE'S. 

go  wherever  he  likes  from  the  Summit  ex 
cept  to  come  here." 

"  Mr.  Lee  ?  "  echoed  Kate. 

"  Yes,  the  wounded  one ;  and  the  other's 
name  is  Falkner.  I  asked  them  in  order 
that  you  might  be  properly  introduced. 
There  were  very  respectable  Falkners  in 
Charlestown,  you  remember  ;  I  thought  you 
might  warm  to  the  name,  and  perhaps  trace 
the  connection,  now  that  you  are  such  good 
friends.  It 's  providential  they  are  here,  as 
we  haven't  got  a  horse  or  a  man  in  the  place 
since  Manuel  disappeared,  though  Mr.  Falk- 
ner  says  he  can't  be  far  away,  or  they  would 
have  met  him  on  the  trail  if  he  had  gone  to 
wards  the  Summit." 

"Did  they  say  anything  more  of  Man 
uel?" 

"  Nothing  ;  though  I  am  inclined  to  agree 
with  you  that  he  is  n't  trustworthy.  But 
that  again  is  the  result  of  John's  idea  of 
employing  native  skill  at  the  expense  of  re* 
taining  native  habits." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  73 

The  evening  closed  early,  and  with  no 
diminution  in  the  falling  rain  and  rising 
wind.  Falkner  kept  his  word,  and  unosten 
tatiously  performed  the  out-door  work  in  the 
barn  and  stables,  assisted  by  the  only  Chi 
nese  servant  remaining,  and  under  the  ad 
vice  and  supervision  of  Kate.  Although  he 
seemed  to  understand  horses,  she  was  sur 
prised  to  find  that  he  betrayed  a  civic  igno 
rance  of  the  ordinary  details  of  the  farm 
and  rustic  household.  It  was  quite  impossi 
ble  that  she  should  retain  her  distrustful  at 
titude,  or  he  his  reserve  in  their  enforced 
companionship.  They  talked  freely  of  sub 
jects  suggested  by  the  situation,  Falkner 
exhibiting  a  general  knowledge  and  intui 
tion  of  things  without  parade  or  dogmatism. 
Doubtful  of  all  versatility  as  Kate  was,  she 
could  not  help  admitting  to  herself  that  his 
truths  were  none  the  less  true  for  their 
quantity  or  that  he  got  at  them  without  os 
tentatious  processes.  His  talk  certainly  was 
more  picturesque  than  her  brother's,  and 


74  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

less  subduing  to  her  faculties.  John  had 
always  crushed  her. 

When  they  returned  to  the  house  he  did 
not  linger  in  the  parlor  or  sitting-room,  but 
at  once  rejoined  his  friend.  When  dinner 
was  ready  in  the  dining-room,  a  little  more 
deliberately  arranged  and  ornamented  than 
usual,  the  two  women  were  somewhat  sur 
prised  to  receive  an  excuse  from  Falkner, 
begging  them  to  allow  him  for  the  present 
to  take  his  meals  with  the  patient,  and  thus 
save  the  necessity  of  another  attendant. 

"  It  is  all  shyness,  Kate,"  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
confidently,  "  and  must  not  be  permitted  for 
a  moment." 

"I'm  sure  I  should  be  quite  willing  to 
stay  with  the  poor  boy  myself,"  said  Mrs. 
Scott,  simply,  "  and  take  Mr.  Falkner's 
place  while  he  dines." 

"You  are  too  willing,  mother,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale,  pertly,  "  and  your  '  poor  boy,'  as  you 
call  him,  will  never  see  thirty-five  again." 

"  He  will  never  see  any  other  birthday," 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  75 

retorted  her  mother,  "  unless  you  keep  him 
more  quiet.  He  only  talks  when  you  're  in 
the  room." 

"  He  wants  some  relief  to  his  friend's  long 
face  and  nioustachios  that  make  him  look 
prematurely  in  mourning,"  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
with  a  slight  increase  of  animation.  "  I 
don't  propose  to  leave  them  too  much  to 
gether.  After  dinner  we  '11  adjourn  to  their 
room  and  lighten  it  up  a  little.  You  must 
come,  Kate,  to  look  at  the  patient,  and  coun 
teract  the  baleful  effects  of  my  frivolity." 

Mrs.  Hale's  instincts  were  truer  than 
her  mother's  experience  ;  not  only  that  the 
wounded  man's  eyes  became  brighter  under 
the  provocation  of  her  presence,  but  it  was 
evident  that  his  naturally  exuberant  spirits 
were  a  part  of  his  vital  strength,  and  were 
absolutely  essential  to  his  quick  recovery. 
Encouraged  by  Falkner's  grave  and  practi 
cal  assistance,  which  she  could  not  ignore, 
Kate  ventured  to  make  an  examination  of 
Lee's  wound.  Even  to  her  unpractised  eye 


76  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

it  was  less  serious  than  at  first  appeared. 
The  great  loss  of  blood  had  been  due  to  the 
laceration  of  certain  small  vessels  below  the 
knee,  but  neither  artery  nor  bone  was  in 
jured.  A  recurrence  of  the  haemorrhage  or 
fever  was  the  only  thing  to  be  feared,  and 
these  could  be  averted  by  bandaging,  repose, 
and  simple  nursing. 

The  unfailing  good  humor  of  the  patient 
under  this  manipulation,  the  quaint  origi 
nality  of  his  speech,  the  freedom  of  his 
fancy,  which  was,  however,  always  controlled 
by  a  certain  instinctive  tact,  began  to  affect 
Kate  nearly  as  it  had  the  others.  She  found 
herself  laughing  over  the  work  she  had  un 
dertaken  in  a  pure  sense  of  duty ;  she  joined 
in  the  hilarity  produced  by  Lee's  affected 
terror  of  her  surgical  mania,  and  offered  to 
undo  the  bandages  in  search  of  the  thimble 
he  declared  she  had  left  in  the  wound  with 
a  view  to  further  experiments. 

"  You  ought  to  broaden  your  practice,"  he 
suggested.  "  A  good  deal  might  be  made 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  77 

out  of  Ned  and  a  piece  of  soap  left  care 
lessly  on  the  first  step  of  the  staircase,  while 
mountains  of  surgical  opportunities  lie  in 
a  humble  orange  peel  judiciously  exposed. 
Only  I  warn  you  that  you  would  n't  find  him 
as  docile  as  I  am.  Decoyed  into  a  snow 
drift  and  frozen,  you  might  get  some  valua 
ble  experiences  in  resuscitation  by  thawing 
him." 

"  I  fancied  you  had  done  that  already, 
Kate,"  whispered  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  Freezing  is  the  new  suggestion  for  pain 
less  surgery,"  said  Lee,  coming  to  Kate's  re 
lief  with  ready  tact,  "only  the  knowledge 
should  be  more  generally  spread.  There  was 
a  man  up  at  Strawberry  fell  under  a  sledge- 
load  of  wood  in  the  snow.  Stunned  by  the 
shock,  he  was  slowly  freezing  to  death,  when, 
with  a  tremendous  effort,  he  succeeded  in 
freeing  himself  all  but  his  right  leg,  pinned 
down  by  a  small  log.  His  axe  happened  to 
have  fallen  within  reach,  and  a  few  blows  on 
the  log  freed  him." 


78  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  And  saved  the  poor  fellow's  life,"  said 
Mrs.  Scott,  who  was  listening  with  sympa 
thizing  intensity. 

"  At  the  expense  of  his  left  leg,  which  he 
had  unknowingly  cut  off  under  the  pleasing 
supposition  that  it  was  a  log,"  returned  Lee 
demurely. 

Nevertheless,  in  a  few  moments  he  man 
aged  to  divert  the  slightly  shocked  suscepti 
bilities  of  the  old  lady  with  some  raillery  of 
himself,  and  did  not  again  interrupt  the  even 
good-humored  communion  of  the  party.  The 
rain  beating  against  the  windows  and  the 
fire  sparkling  on  the  hearth  seemed  to  lend 
a  charm  to  their  peculiar  isolation,  and  it 
was  not  until  Mrs.  Scott  rose  with  a  warn 
ing  that  they  were  trespassing  upon  the  rest 
of  their  patient  that  they  discovered  that  the 
evening  had  slipped  by  unnoticed.  When 
the  door  at  last  closed  on  the  bright,  sympa 
thetic  eyes  of  the  two  young  women  and  the 
motherly  benediction  of  the  elder,  Falkner 
walked  to  the  window,  and  remained  silent, 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  79 

looking  into  the  darkness.  Suddenly  he 
turned  bitterly  to  his  companion. 

"  This  is  just  h— 11,  George." 

George  Lee,  with  a  smile  still  on  his  boy 
ish  face,  lazily  moved  his  head. 

"  I  don't  know  !  If  it  was  n't  for  the  old 
woman,  who  is  the  one  solid  chunk  of  abso 
lute  goodness  here,  expecting  nothing,  want 
ing  nothing,  it  would  be  good  fun  enough ! 
These  two  women,  cooped  up  in  this  house, 
wanted  excitement.  They  've  got  it !  That 
man  Hale  wanted  to  show  off  by  going  for 
us ;  he 's  had  his  chance,  and  will  have  it 
again  before  I  've  done  with  him.  That 
d — d  fool  of  a  messenger  wanted  to  go  out 
of  his  way  to  exchange  shots  with  me  ;  I 
reckon  he  's  the  most  satisfied  of  the  lot !  I 
don't  know  why  you  should  growl.  You  did 
your  level  best  to  get  away  from  here,  and 
the  result  is,  that  little  Puritan  is  ready  to 
worship  you." 

"  Yes  —  but  this  playing  it  on  them  — 
George  —  this  "  — 


80  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  Who 's  playing  it  ?  Not  you  ;  I  see 
you  've  given  away  our  names  already." 

"  I  could  n?t  lie,  and  they  know  nothing 
by  that." 

"  Do  you  think  they  would  be  happier  by 
knowing  it  ?  Do  you  think  that  soft  little 
creature  would  be  as  happy  as  she  was  to 
night  if  she  knew  that  her  husband  had  been 
indirectly  the  means  of  laying  me  by  the 
heels  here  ?  Where  is  the  swindle  ?  This 
hole  in  my  leg?  If  you  had  been  five  min 
utes  under  that  girl's  d — d  sympathetic  fin 
gers  you  'd  have  thought  it  was  genuine.  Is 
it  in  our  trying  to  get  away  ?  Do  you  call 
that  ten-feet  drift  in  the  pass  a  swindle  ?  Is 
it  in  the  chance  of  Hale  getting  back  while 
we  're  here  ?  That 's  real  enough,  is  n't  it  ? 
I  say,  Ned,  did  you  ever  give  your  unfettered 
intellect  to  the  contemplation  of  that  ?  " 

Falkner  did  not  reply.  There  was  an  in 
terval  of  silence,  but  he  could  see  from  the 
movement  of  George's  shoulders  that  he  was 
shaking  with  suppressed  laughter. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  81 

"  Fancy  Mrs.  Hale  archly  introducing  her 
husband  !  My  offering  him  a  chair,  but  be 
ing  all  the  time  obliged  to  cover  him  with  a 
derringer  under  the  bedclothes.  Your  rush 
ing  in  from  your  peaceful  pastoral  pursuits 
in  the  barn,  with  a  pitchfork  in  one  hand 
and  the  girl  in  the  other,  and  dear  old 
mammy  sympathizing  all  round  and  trying 
to  make  everything  comfortable." 

"  I  should  not  be  alive  to  see  it,  George," 
said  Falkner  gloomily. 

"  You  'd  manage  to  pitchfork  me  and 
those  two  women  on  Hale's  horse  and  ride 
away ;  that 's  what  you  'd  do,  or  I  don't 
know  you!  Look  here,  Ned,"  he  added 
more  seriously,  "  the  only  swindling  was  our 
bringing  that  note  here.  That  was  your 
idea.  You  thought  it  would  remove  sus 
picion,  and  as  you  believed  I  was  bleeding 
to  death  you  played  that  game  for  all  it  was 
worth  to  save  me.  You  might  have  done 
what  I  asked  you  to  do  —  propped  me  up  in 
the  bushes,  and  got  away  yourself.  I  was 


82  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

good  for  a  couple  of  shots  yet,  and  after  that 
—  what  mattered  ?  That  night,  the  next  day, 
the  next  time  I  take  the  road,  or  a  year 
hence  ?  It  will  come  when  it  will  come,  all 
the  same ! " 

He  did  not  speak  bitterly,  nor  relax  his 
smile.  Falkner,  without  speaking,  slid  his 
hand  along  the  coverlet.  Lee  grasped  it, 
and  their  hands  remained  clasped  together 
for  a  few  moments  in  silence. 

"  How  is  this  to  end  ?  We  cannot  go  on 
here  in  this  way,"  said  Falkner  suddenly. 

"If  we  cannot  get  away  it  must  go  on. 
Look  here,  Ned.  I  don't  reckon  to  take 
anything  out  of  this  house  that  I  didn't 
bring  in  it,  or  is  n't  freely  offered  to  me ; 
yet  I  don't  otherwise,  you  understand,  in 
tend  making  myself  out  a  d — d  bit  better 
than  I  am.  That 's  the  only  excuse  I  have 
for  not  making  myself  out  just  what  I  am. 
I  don't  know  the  fellow  who 's  obliged  to 
tell  every  one  the  last  company  he  was  in, 
or  the  last  thing  he  did  !  Do  you  suppose 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  83 

even  these  pretty  little  women  tell  us  their 
whole  story?  Do  you  fancy  that  this  St. 
John  in  the  wilderness  is  canonized  in  his 
family?  Perhaps,  when  I  take  the  liberty 
to  intrude  in  his  affairs,  as  he  has  in  mine, 
he'd  see  he  isn't.  I  don't  blame  you  for 
being  sensitive,  Ned.  It 's  natural.  .  When 
a  man  lives  outside  the  revised  statutes  of 
his  own  State  he  is  apt  to  be  awfully  fine  on 
points  of  etiquette  in  his  own  household.  As 
for  me,  I  find  it  rather  comfortable  here. 
The  beds  of  other  people's  making  strike 
me  as  being  more  satisfactory  than  my  own. 
Good-night." 

In  a  few  moments  he  was  sleeping  the 
peaceful  sleep  of  that  youth  which  seemed 
to  be  his  own  dominant  quality.  Falkner 
stood  for  a  little  space  and  watched  him,  fol 
lowing  the  boyish  lines  of  his  cheek  on  the 
pillow,  from  the  shadow  of  the  light  brown 
lashes  under  his  closed  lids  to  the  lifting  of 
his  short  upper  lip  over  his  white  teeth,  with 
his  regular  respiration.  Only  a  sharp  ac- 


84  KNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

centing  of  the  line  of  nostril  and  jaw  and  a 
faint  depression  of  the  temple  betrayed  his 
already  tried  manhood. 

The  house  had  long  sunk  to  repose  when 
Falkner  returned  to  the  window,  and  re 
mained  looking  out  upon  the  storm.  Sud 
denly  he  extinguished  the  light,  and  passing 
quickly  to  the  bed  laid  his  hand  upon  the 
sleeper.  Lee  opened  his  eyes  instantly. 

"  Are  you  awake  ?  " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Somebody  is  trying  to  get  into  the 
house ! " 

"  Not  him,  eh  ?  "  said  Lee  gayly. 

"  No ;  two  men.  Mexicans,  I  think.  One 
looks  like  Manuel." 

"  Ah,"  said  Lee,  drawing  himself  up  to  a 
sitting  posture. 

"Well?" 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  He  believes  the  women 
are  alone." 

"  The  dog  —  d— d  hound  !  " 

"  Speak  respectfully  of  one  of  my  people, 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  85 

• 

if  you  please,  and  hand  me  my  derringer. 
Light  the  candle  again,  and  open  the  door. 
Let  them  get  in  quietly.  They  '11  come 
here  first.  It 's  his  room,  you  understand, 
and  if  there 's  any  money  it 's  here.  Any 
way,  they  must  pass  here  to  get  to  the  wo 
men's  rooms.  Leave  Manuel  to  me,  and  you 
take  care  of  the  other." 

"  I  see." 

"  Manuel  knows  the  house,  and  will  come 
first.  When  he's  fairly  in  the  room  shut 
the  door  and  go  for  the  other.  But  no 
noise.  This  is  just  one  of  the  sw-eetest 
things  out  —  if  it 's  done  properly." 

"  But  2/cm,  George  ?  " 

"  If  I  could  n't  manage  that  fellow  with 
out  turning  down  the  bedclothes  I  'd  kick 
myself.  Hush.  Steady  now." 

He  lay  down  and  shut  his  eyes  as  if  in 
natural  repose.  Only  his  right  hand,  care 
lessly  placed  under  his  pillow,  closed  on  the 
handle  of  his  pistol.  Falkner  quietly  slipped 
into  the  passage.  The  light  of  the  candle 


86  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

• 

faintly  illuminated  the  floor  and  opposite 
wall,  but  left  it  on  either  side  in  pitchy  ob 
scurity. 

For  some  moments  the  silence  was  broken 
only  by  the  sound  of  the  rain  without.  The 
recumbent  figure  in  bed  seemed  to  have  ac 
tually  succumbed  to  sleep.  The  multitudi 
nous  small  noises  of  a  house  in  repose  might 
have  been  misinterpreted  by  ears  less  keen 
than  the  sleeper's;  but  when  the  apparent 
creaking  of  a  far-off  shutter  was  followed  by 
the  sliding  apparition  of  a  dark  head  of  tan 
gled  hair  at  the  door,  Lee  had  not  been  de 
ceived,  and  was  as  prepared  as  if  he  had 
seen  it.  Another  step,  and  the  figure  entered 
the  room.  The  door  closed  instantly  behind 
it.  The  sound  of  a  heavy  body  struggling 
against  the  partition  outside  followed,  and 
then  suddenly  ceased. 

The  intruder  turned,  and  violently  grasped 
the  handle  of  the  door,  but  recoiled  at  a 
quiet  voice  from  the  bed. 

"  Drop  that,  and  come  here." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  87 

He  started  back  with  an  exclamation.  The 
sleeper's  eyes  were  wide  open ;  the  sleeper's 
extended  arm  and  pistol  covered  him. 

"  Silence !  or  I  '11  let  that  candle  shine 
through  you." 

"Yes,  captain!"  growled  the  astounded 
and  frightened  half-breed.  "  I  did  n't  know 
you  were  here." 

Lee  raised  himself,  and  grasped  the  long 
whip  in  his  left  hand  and  whirled  it  round 
his  head. 

•"  Will  you  dry  up  ?  " 

The  man  sank  back  against  the  wall  in 
silent  terror. 

"  Open  that  door  now  —  softly." 

Manuel  obeyed  with  trembling  fingers. 

"  Ned,"  said  Lee  in  a  low  voice,  "  bring 
him  in  here  —  quick." 

There  was  a  slight  rustle,  and  Falkner  ap 
peared,  backing  in  another  gasping  figure, 
whose  eyes  were  starting  under  the  strong 
grasp  of  the  captor  at  his  throat. 

"  Silence,"  said  Lee,  "  all  of  you." 


88  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

There  was  a  breathless  pause.  The  sound 
of  a  door  hesitatingly  opened  in  the  passage 
broke  the  stillness,  followed  by  the  gentle 
voice  of  Mrs.  Scott. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ?  " 

Lee  made  a  slight  gesture  of  warning  to 
Falkner,  of  menace  to  the  others.  "  Every 
thing  's  the  matter,"  he  called  out  cheerily. 
"  Ned 's  managed  to  half  pull  down  the 
house  trying  to  get  at  something  from  my 
saddle-bags." 

"  I  hope  he  has  not  hurt  himself,"  broke 
in  another  voice  mischievously. 

"  Answer,  you  clumsy  villain,"  whispered 
Lee,  with  twinkling  eyes. 

"I'm  all  right,  thank  you,"  responded 
Falkner,  with  unaffected  awkwardness. 

There  was  a  slight  murmuring  of  voices, 
and  then  the  door  was  heard  to  close.  Lee 
turned  to  Falkner. 

"  Disarm  that  hound  and  turn  him  loose 
outside,  and  make  no  noise.  And  you,  Man 
uel  !  tell  him  what  his  and  your  chances  are 
if  he  shows  his  black  face  here  again." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  89 

Manuel  cast  a  single,  terrified,  supplicat 
ing  glance,  more  suggestive  than  words,  at 
his  confederate,  as  Falkner  shoved  him  be 
fore  him  from  the  room.  The  next  moment 
they  were  silently  descending  the  stairs. 

"  May  I  go  too,  captain  ?  "  entreated  Man 
uel.  "  I  swear  to  God  "  — 

"  Shut  the  door !  "     The  man  obeyed. 

"Now,  then,"  said  Lee,  with  a  broad, 
gratified  smile,  laying  down  his  whip  and 
pistol  within  reach,  and  comfortably  settling 
the  pillows  behind  his  back,  "  we  '11  have  a 
quiet  confab.  A  sort  of  old-fashioned  talk, 
eh  ?  You  're  not  looking  well,  Manuel. 
You  're  drinking  too  much  again.  It  spoils 
your  complexion." 

"  Let  me  go,  captain,"  pleaded  the  man, 
emboldened  by  the  good-humored  voice,  but 
not  near  enough  to  notice  a  peculiar  light  in 
the  speaker's  eye. 

"  You  Ve  only  just  come,  Manuel ;  and  at 
considerable  trouble,  too.  Well,  what  have 
you  got  to  say  ?  What 's  all  this  about  ? 
What  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 


90  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

The  captured  man  shuffled  his  feet  neK 
vously,  and  only  uttered  an  uneasy  laugh  of 
coarse  discomfiture. 

"  I  see.  You  're  bashful.  Well,  I  '11  help 
you  along.  Come !  You  knew  that  Hale 
was  away  and  these  women  were  here  with 
out  a  man  to  help  them.  You  thought  you  'd 
find  some  money  here,  and  have  your  own 
way  generally,  eh  ?  " 

The  tone  of  Lee's  voice  inspired  him  to 
confidence :  unfortunately,  it  inspired  him 
with  familiarity  also. 

"  I  reckoned  I  had  the  right  to  a  little  fun 
on  my  own  account,  cap.  I  reckoned  ez  one 
gentleman  in  the  profession  would  n't  inter 
fere  with  another  gentleman's  little-  game," 
he  continued  coarsely. 

"  Stand  up." 

"  Wot  for  ?  " 

"Up,  I  say!" 

Manuel  stood  up  and  glanced  at  him. 

"  Utter  a  cry  that  might  frighten  these 
women,  and  by  the  living  God  they  '11  rush 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  91 

in  here  only  to  find  you  lying  dead  on  the 
floor  of  the  house  you  'd  have  polluted." 

He  grasped  the  whip  and  laid  the  lash  of 
it  heavily  twice  over  the  ruffian's  shoulders. 
Writhing  in  suppressed  agony,  the  man  fell 
imploringly  on  his  knees. 

"  Now,  listen !  "  said  Lee,  softly  twirling 
the  whip  in  the  air.  "  I  want  to  refresh 
your  memory.  Did  you  ever  learn,  when 
you  were  with  me  —  before  I  was  obliged  to 
kick  you  out  of  gentlemen's  company  —  to 
break  into  a  private  house  ?  Answer !  " 

"  No,"  stammered  the  wretch. 

"  Did  you  ever  learn  to  rob  a  woman,  a 
child,  or  any  but  a  man,  and  that  face  to 
face  ?  " 

"  No,"  repeated  Manuel. 

"  Did  you  ever  learn  from  me  to  lay  a  fin 
ger  upon  a  woman,  old  or  young,  in  anger 
or  kindness  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then,  my  poor  Manuel,  it 's  as  I  feared ; 
civilization  has  ruined  you.  Farming  and 


92  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLETS. 

a  simple,  bucolic  life  have  perverted  your 
morals.  So  you  were  running  off  with  the 
stock  and  that  mustang,  when  you  got  stuck 
in  the  snow ;  and  the  luminous  idea  of  this 
little  game  struck  you  ?  Eh  ?  That  was 
another  mistake,  Manuel ;  I  never  allowed 
you  to  think  when  you  were  with  me." 

"  No,  captain." 

"  Who  's  your  friend  ?  " 

"  A  d — d  cowardly  nigger  from  the  Sum 
mit." 

"  I  agree  with  you  for  once  ;  but  he  has  n't 
had  a  very  brilliant  example.  Where  's  he 
gone  now  ?  " 

"  To  h— U,  for  all  I  care ! " 

"  Then  I  want  you  to  go  with  him.  Lis 
ten.  If  there  's  a  way  out  of  the  place,  you 
know  it  or  can  find  it.  I  give  you  two  days 
to  do  it  —  you  and  he.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  the  order  will  be  to  shoot  you  on  sight. 
Now  take  off  your  boots." 

The  man's  dark  face  visibly  whitened,  his 
teeth  chattered  in  superstitious  terror. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  93 

"  I  'in  not  going  to  shoot  you  now,"  said 
Lee,  smiling,  "  so  you  will  have  a  chance  to 
die  with  your  boots  on,1  if  you  are  supersti 
tious.  I  only  want  you  to  exchange  them 
for  that  pair  of  Bale's  in  the  corner.  The 
fact  is  I  have  taken  a  fancy  to  yours.  That 
fashion  of  wearing  the  stockings  outside 
strikes  me  as  one  of  the  neatest  things  out." 

Manuel  sullenly  drew  off  his  boots  with 
their  muffled  covering,  and  put  on  the  ones 
designated. 

"  Now  open  the  door." 

He  did  so.  Falkner  was  already  waiting 
at  the  threshold.  "  Turn  Manuel  loose  with 
the  other,  Ned,  but  disarm  him  first.  They 
might  quarrel.  The  habit  of  carrying  arms, 
Manuel,"  added  Lee,  as  Falkner  took  a 
pistol  and  bowie-knife  from  the  half-breed, 
"  is  of  itself  provocative  of  violence,  and  in 
consistent  with  a  bucolic  and  pastoral  life." 

1  "  To  die  with  one's  boots  on."  A  synonym  for  death  by 
violence,  popular  among  Southwestern  desperadoes,  and  the 
subject  of  superstitious  dread. 


94  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

When  Falkner  returned  lie  said  hurriedly 
to  his  companion,  "  Do  you  think  it  wise, 
George,  to  let  those  hell-hounds  loose  ?  Good 
God !  I  could  scarcely  let  my  grip  of  his 
throat  go,  when  I  thought  of  what  they  were 
hunting." 

"  My  dear  Ned,"  said  Lee,  luxuriously  en 
sconcing  himself  under  the  bedclothes  again 
with  a  slight  shiver  of  delicious  warmth,  "  I 
must  warn  you  against  allowing  the  natural 
pride  of  a  higher  walk  to  prejudice  you 
against  the  general  level  of  our  profession. 
Indeed,  I  was  quite  struck  with  the  justice 
of  Manuel's  protest  that  I  was  interfering 
with  certain  rude  processes  of  his  own  to 
wards  results  aimed  at  by  others." 

"  George  !  "  interrupted  Falkner,  almost 
savagely. 

"  Well.  I  admit  it 's  getting  rather  late 
in  the  evening  for  pure  philosophical  inquiry, 
and  you  are  tired.  Practically,  then,  it  was 
wise  to  let  them  get  away  before  they  dis 
covered  two  things.  One,  our  exact  rela- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  95 

tions  here  with  these  women  ;  and  the  other, 
how  many  of  us  were  here.    At  present  they 
think  we  are  three  or  four  in  possession  and 
with  the  consent  of  the  women." 
"  The  dogs  !  " 

"  They  are  paying  us  the  highest  compli 
ment  they  can  conceive  of  by  'supposing  us 
cleverer  scoundrels  than  themselves.  You 
are  very  unjust,  Ned." 

"  If  they  escape  and  tell  their  story  ?  " 
"  We  shall  have  the  rare  pleasure  of  know 
ing  we  are  better  than  people  believe  us. 
And  now  put  those  boots  away  somewhere 
where  we  can  produce  them  if  necessary,  as 
evidence  of  Manuel's  evening  call.    At  pres 
ent  we  '11  keep  the  thing  quiet,  and  in  the 
early  morning  you  can  find  out  where  they 
got  in  and  remove  any  traces  they  have  left. 
It  is  no  use  to  frighten  the  women.    There  's 
no  fear  of  their  returning." 
"  And  if  they  get  away  ?  " 
"  We  can  follow  in  their  tracks." 
"  If  Manuel  gives  the  alarm  ?  " 


96  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  With  his  burglarious  boots  left  behind 
in  the  house  ?  Not  much !  Good-night, 
Ned.  Go  to  bed." 

With  these  words  Lee  turned  on  his  side 
and  quietly  resumed  his  interrupted  slumber. 
Falkner  did  not,  however,  follow  this  sensi 
ble  advice.  When  he  was  satisfied  that  his 
friend  was  sleeping  he  opened  the  door  softly 
and  looked  out.  He  did  not  appear  to  be  lis 
tening,  for  his  eyes  were  fixed  upon  a  small 
pencil  of  light  that  stole  across  the  passage 
from  the  foot  of  Kate's  door.  He  watched 
it  until  it  suddenly  disappeared,  when,  leav 
ing  the  door  partly  open,  he  threw  himself 
on  his  couch  without  removing  his  clothes. 
The  slight  movement  awakened  the  sleeper, 
who  was  beginning  to  feel  the  accession  of 
fever.  He  moved  restlessly. 

"  George,"  said  Falkner,  softly. 

"Yes." 

"  Where  was  it  we  passed  that  old  Mis 
sion  Church  on  the  road  one  dark  night,  and 
saw  the  light  burning  before  the  figure  of 
the  Virgin  through  the  window  ?  " 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  97 

There  was  a  moment  of  crushing  silence. 
"  Does  that  mean  you  're  wanting  to  light 
the  candle  again  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Then  don't  lie  there  inventing  sacrile 
gious  conundrums,  but  go  to  sleep." 

Nevertheless,  in  the  morning  his  fever  was 
slightly  worse.  Mrs.  Hale,  offering  her  con 
dolence,  said,  "  I  know  that  you  have  not 
been  resting  well,  for  even  after  your  friend 
met  with  that  mishap  in  the  hall,  I  heard 
your  voices,  and  Kate  says  your  door  was 
open  all  night.  You  have  a  little  fever  too, 
Mr.  Falkner." 

George  looked  curiously  at  Falkner's  pale 
face  —  it  was  burning. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  speed  and  fury  with  which  Clinch's 
cavalcade  swept  on  in  the  direction  of  the 
mysterious  shot  left  Hale  no  chance  for  re 
flection.  He  was  conscious  of  shouting  in 
coherently  with  the  others,  of  urging  his 
horse  irresistibly  forward,  of  momentarily 
expecting  to  meet  or  overtake  something, 
but  without  any  further  thought.  The  fig 
ures  of  Clinch  and  Rawlins  immediately  be 
fore  him  shut  out  the  prospect  of  the  nar 
rowing  trail.  Once  only,  taking  advantage 
of  a  sudden  halt  that  threw  them  confusedly 
together,  he  managed  to  ask  a  question. 

"  Lost  their  track  —  found  it  again !  " 
shouted  the  ostler,  as  Clinch,  with  a  cry  like 
the  baying  of  a  hound,  again  darted  forward. 
Their  horses  were  panting  and  trembling 
under  them,  the  ascent  seemed  to  be  growing 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  99 

steeper,  a  singular  darkness,  which  even  the 
density  of  the  wood  did  not  sufficiently  ac 
count  for,  surrounded  them,  but  still  their 
leader  madly  urged  them  on.  To  Hale's  re 
turning  senses  they  did  not  seem  in  a  condi 
tion  to  engage  a  single  resolute  man,  who 
might  have  ambushed  in  the  woods  or  beaten 
them  in  detail  in  the  narrow  gorge,  but  in 
another  instant  the  reason  of  their  furious 
haste  was  manifest.  Spurring  his  horse 
ahead,  Clinch  dashed  out  into  the  open  with 
a  cheering  shout  —  a  shout  that  as  quickly 
changed  to  a  yell  of  imprecation.  They  were 
on  the  Ridge  in  a  blinding  snow-storm  !  The 
road  had  already  vanished  under  their  feet, 
and  with  it  the  fresh  trail  they  had  so  closely 
followed !  They  stood  helplessly  on  the  shore 
of  a  trackless  white  sea,  blank  and  spotless 
of  any  trace  or  sign  of  the  fugitives. 

"  'Pears  to  me,  boys,"  said  the  ostler,  sud 
denly  ranging  before  them,  "  ef  you  're  not 
kalkilatin'  on  gittin'  another  party  to  dig  ye 
out,  ye  'd  better  be  huntin'  fodder  and  cover 


100  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

instead  of  road  agents.  'Skuse  me,  gentle 
men,  but  I  'm  responsible  for  the  Losses,  and 
this  ain't  no  time  for  circus-ridin'.  We  're 
a  matter  o'  six  miles  from  the  station  in  a 
bee  line." 

"Back  to  the  trail,  then,"  said  Clinch, 
wheeling  his  horse  towards  the  road  they 
had  just  quitted. 

"  'Skuse  me,  Kernel,"  said  the  ostler,  lay 
ing  his  hand  on  Clinch's  rein,  "  but  that  way 
only  brings  us  back  the  road  we  kem  —  the 
stage  road  —  three  miles  further  from  home. 
That  three  miles  is  on  the  divide,  and  by  the 
time  we  get  there  it  will  be  snowed  up  worse 
nor  this.  The  shortest  cut  is  along  the 
Ridge.  If  we  hump  ourselves  we  ken  cross 
the  divide  afore  the  road  is  blocked.  And 
that,  'skuse  me,  gentlemen,  is  my  road." 

There  was  no  time  for  discussion.  The 
road  was  already  palpably  thickening  under 
their  feet.  Hale's  arm  was  stiffened  to  his 
side  by  a  wet,  clinging  snow-wreath.  The 
figures  of  the  others  were  almost  obliterated 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  101 

and  shapeless.  It  was  not  snowing  —  it  was 
snowballing !  The  huge  flakes,  shaken  like 
enormous  feathers  out  of  a  vast  blue-black 
cloud,  commingled  and  fell  in  sprays  and 
patches.  All  idea  of  their  former  pursuit 
was  forgotten  ;  the  blind  rage  and  enthusi 
asm  that  had  possessed  them  was  gone. 
They  dashed  after  their  new  leader  with 
only  an  instinct  for  shelter  and  succor. 

They  had  not  ridden  long  when  fortu 
nately,  as  it  seemed  to  Hale,  the  character 
of  the  storm  changed.  The  snow  no  longer 
fell  in  such  large  flakes,  nor  as  heavily.  A 
bitter  wind  succeeded ;  the  soft  snow  began 
to  stiffen  and  crackle  under  the  horses' 
hoofs ;  they  were  no  longer  weighted  and  en 
cumbered  by  the  drifts  upon  their  bodies; 
the  smaller  flakes  now  rustled  and  rasped 
against  them  like  sand,  or  bounded  from 
them  like  hail.  They  seemed  to  be  moving 
more  easily  and  rapidly,  their  spirits  were 
rising  with  the  stimulus  of  cold  and  motion, 
when  suddenly  their  leader  halted. 


102  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"It's  no  use,  boys.  It  can't  be  done! 
This  is  no  blizzard,  but  a  regular  two 
days'  snifter !  It 's  no  longer  meltiu',  but 
packin'  and  driftin'  now.  Even  if  we  get 
over  the  divide,  we  're  sure  to  be  blocked  up 
in  the  pass." 

It  was  true !  To  their  bitter  disappoint 
ment  they  could  now  see  that  the  snow  had 
not  really  diminished  in  quantity,  but  that 
the  now  finely-powdered  particles  were  rap 
idly  filling  all  inequalities  of  the  surface, 
packing  closely  against  projections,  and 
swirling  in  long  furrows  across  the  levels. 
They  looked  with  anxiety  at  their  self-con 
stituted  leader. 

"  We  must  make  a  break  to  get  down  in 
the  woods  again  before  it 's  too  late,"  he  said 
briefly. 

But  they  had  already  drifted  away  from 
the  fringe  of  larches  and  dwarf  pines  that 
marked  the  sides  of  the  Ridge,  and  lower 
down  merged  into  the  dense  forest  that 
clothed  the  flank  of  the  mountain  they  had 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  103 

lately  climbed,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  they  again  reached  it,  only  to 
find  that  at  that  point  it  was  too  precipitous 
for  the  descent  of  their  horses.  Benumbed 
and  speechless,  they  continued  to  toil  on,  op 
posed  to  the  full  fury  of  the  stinging  snow, 
and  at  times  obliged  to  turn  their  horses  to 
the  blast  to  keep  from  being  blown  over  the 
Ridge.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  the  ostler 
dismounted,  and,  beckoning  to  the  others, 
took  his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  began  the 
descent.  When  it  came  to  Hale's  turn  to 
dismount  he  could  not  help  at  first  recoiling 
from  the  prospect  before 'him.  The  trail  — 
if  it  could  be  so  called  —  was  merely  the 
track  or  furrow  of  some  fallen  tree  dragged, 
by  accident  or  design,  diagonally  across  the 
sides  of  the  mountain.  At  times  it  appeared 
scarcely  a  foot  in  width ;  at  other  times  a 
mere  crumbling  gully,  or  a  narrow  shelf 
made  by  the  projections  of  dead  boughs  and 
collected  debris.  It  seemed  perilous  for  a 
foot  passenger,  it  appeared  impossible  for  a 


104  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

horse.  Nevertheless,  he  had  taken  a  step 
forward  when  Clinch  laid  his  hand  on  his 
arm. 

"  You  '11  bring  up  the  rear,"  he  said  not 
unkindly,  "  ez  you  're  a  stranger  here.  Wait 
until  we  sing  out  to  you." 

"  But  if  I  prefer  to  take  the  same  risks 
as  you  all  ?  "  said  Hale  stiffly. 

"  You  kin,"  said  Clinch  grimly.  "  But  I 
reckoned,  as  you  were  n't  familiar  with  this 
sort  o'  thing,  you  wouldn't  keer,  by  any 
foolishness  o'  yours,  to  stampede  the  rocks 
ahead  of  us,  and  break  down  the  trail,  or 
send  down  an  avalanche  on  top  of  us.  But 
just  ez  you  like." 

"  I  will  wait,  then,"  said  Hale  hastily. 

The  rebuke,  however,  did  him  good  ser 
vice.  It  preoccupied  his  niind,  so  that  it 
remained  unaffected  by  the  dizzy  depths, 
and  enabled  him  to  abandon  himself  me 
chanically  to  the  sagacity  of  his  horse,  who 
was  contented  simply  to  follow  the  hoof- 
prints  of  the  preceding  animal,  and  in  a  few 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  105 

moments  they  reached  the  broader  trail  be 
low  without  a  mishap.  A  discussion  regard 
ing  their  future  movements  was  already  tak 
ing  place.  The  impossibility  of  regaining 
the  station  at  the  Summit  was  admitted  ;  the 
way  down  the  mountain  to  the  next  settle 
ment  was  still  left  to  them,  or  the  adjacent 
woods,  if  they  wished  for  an  encampment. 
The  ostler  once  more  assumed  authority. 

"  'Skuse  me,  gentlemen,  but  them  horses 
don't  take  no  pasecer  down  the  mountain  to 
night.  The  stage-road  ain't  a  mile  off,  and 
I  kalkilate  to  wait  here  till  the  up  stage 
comes.  She 's  bound  to  stop  on  account  of 
the  snow  :  and  I  've  done  my  dooty  when  I 
hand  the  horses  over  to  the  driver." 

"  But  if  she  hears  of  the  block  up  yer, 
and  waits  at  the  lower  station  ?  "  said  Raw- 
lins. 

"  Then  I  've  done  my  dooty  all  the  same. 
'Skuse  me,  gentlemen,  but  them  ez  hez  their 
own  horses  kin  do  ez  they  like." 

As  this  clearly  pointed  to  Hale,  he  briefly 


106  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

assured  his  companions  that  he  had  no  in 
tention  of  deserting  them.  "  If  I  cannot 
reach  Eagle's  Court,  I  shall  at  least  keep  as 
near  it  as  possible.  I  suppose  any  messen 
ger  from  my  house  to  the  Summit  will  learn 
where  I  am  and  why  I  am  delayed  ?  " 

"  Messenger  from  your  house !  "  gasped 
Rawlins.  "  Are  you  crazy,  stranger  ?  Only 
a  bird  would  get  outer  Eagle's  now ;  and  it 
would  hev  to  be  an  eagle  at  that !  Between 
your  house  and  the  Summit  the  snow  must 
be  ten  feet  by  this  time,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  drift  in  the  pass." 

Hale  felt  it  was  the  truth.  At  any  other 
time  he  would  have  worried  over  this  unex 
pected  situation,  and  utter  violation  of  all 
his  traditions.  He  was  past  that  now,  and 
even  felt  a  certain  relief.  He  knew  his  fam 
ily  were  safe  ;  it  was  enough.  That  they 
were  locked  up  securely,  and  incapable  of 
interfering  with  him,  seemed  to  enhance  his 
new,  half-conscious,  half-shy  enjoyment  of 
an  adventurous  existence. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  107 

The  ostler,  who  had  been  apparently  lost 
in  contemplation  of  the  steep  trail  he  had 
just  descended,  suddenly  clapped  his  hand 
to  his  leg  with  an  ejaculation  of  gratified  as 
tonishment. 

"  Waal,  darn  my  skin  ef  that  ain't  Hen- 
nicker's  '  slide  '  all  the  time  !  I  heard  it  was 
somewhat  about  here." 

Rawlins  briefly  explained  to  Hale  that  a 
slide  was  a  rude  incline  for  the  transit  of 
heavy  goods  that  could  not  be  carried  down 
a  trail. 

"  And  Hennicker's,"  continued  the  man, 
"  ain't  more  nor  a  mile  away.  Ye  might 
try  Hennicker's  at  a  push,  eh  ?  " 

By  a  common  instinct  the  whole  party 
looked  dubiously  at  Hale.  "  Who  's  Hen- 
nicker  ?  "  he  felt  compelled  to  ask. 

The  ostler  hesitated,  and  glanced  at  the 
others  to  reply.  "  There  are  folks,"  he  said 
lazily,  at  last,  "  ez  beleeves  that  Hennicker 
ain't  much  better  nor  the  crowd  we  're  hunt 
ing  ;  but  they  don't  say  it  to  Hennicker. 
We  need  n't  let  on  what  we  're  after." 


108  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  I  for  one,"  said  Hale  stoutly,  "  decidedly 
object  to  any  concealment  of  our  purpose." 

"  It  don't  follow,"  said  Rawlins  carelessly, 
"  that  Hennicker  even  knows  of  this  yer 
robbery.  It 's  his  gineral  gait  we  refer  to. 
Ef  yer  think  it  more  polite,  and  it  makes  it 
more  sociable  to  discuss  this  matter  afore 
him,  I  'm  agreed." 

"  Hale  means,"  said  Clinch,  "  that  it 
would  n't  be  on  the  square  to  take  and  make 
use  of  any  points  we  might  pick  up  there 
agin  the  road  agents." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Hale.  It  was  not  at  all 
what  he  had  meant,  but  he  felt  singularly 
relieved  at  the  compromise. 

"  And  ez  I  reckon  Hennicker  ain't  such  a 
fool  ez  not  to  know  who  we  are  and  what 
we  're  out  for,"  continued  Clinch,  "  I  reckon 
there  ain't  any  concealment." 

"  Then  it 's  Hennicker's  ?  "  said  the  ostler, 
with  swift  deduction. 

"  Hennicker  it  is  !     Lead  on." 

The  ostler  remounted  his  horse,  and  the 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  109 

others  followed.  The  trail  presently  turned 
into  a  broader  track,  that  bore  some  signs  of 
approaching  habitations,  and  at  the  end  of 
five  minutes  they  came  upon  a  clearing.  It 
was  part  of  one  of  the  fragmentary  moun 
tain  terraces,  and  formed  by  itself  a  vast 
niche,  or  bracketed  shelf,  in  the  hollow  flank 
of  the  mountain  that,  to  Hale's  first  glance, 
bore  a  rude  resemblance  to  Eagle's  Court. 
But  there  was  neither  meadow  nor  open  field ; 
the  few  acres  of  ground  had  been  wrested 
from  the  forest  by  axe  and  fire,  and  un 
sightly  stumps  everywhere  marked  the  rude 
and  difficult  attempts  at  cultivation.  Two 
or  three  rough  buildings  of  unplaned  and 
unpainted  boards,  connected  by  rambling 
sheds,  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  amphi 
theatre.  Far  from  being  protected  by  the 
encircling  rampart,  it  seemed  to  be  the  se 
lected  arena  for  the  combating  elements.  A 
whirlwind  from  the  outer  abyss  continually 
filled  this  cave  of  jEolus  with  driving  snow, 
which,  however,  melted  as  it  fell,  or  was 
quickly  whirled  away  again. 


110  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

A  few  clogs  barked  and  ran  out  to  meet 
the  cavalcade,  but  there  was  no  other  sign  of 
any  life  disturbed  or  concerned  at  their  ap 
proach. 

"  I  reckon  Hennicker  ain't  home,  or  he  'd 
hev  been  on  the  lookout  afore  this,"  said  the 
ostler,  dismounting  and  rapping  at  the  door. 

After  a  silence,  a  female  voice,  unintel 
ligibly  to  the  others,  apparently  had  some 
colloquy  with  the  ostler,  who  returned  to  the 
party. 

"  Must  go  in  through  the  kitchin  —  can't 
open  the  door  for  the  wind." 

Leaving  their  horses  in  the  shed,  they  en 
tered  the  kitchen,  which  communicated,  and 
presently  came  upon  a  square  room  filled 
with  smoke  from  a  fire  of  green  pine  logs. 
The  doors  and  windows  were  tightly  fas 
tened  ;  the  only  air  came  in  through  the  large- 
throated  chimney  in  voluminous  gusts,  which 
seemed  to  make  the  hollow  shell  of  the  apart 
ment  swell  and  expand  to  the  point  of  burst 
ing.  Despite  the  stinging  of  the  resinous 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  HI 

smoke,  the  temperature  was  grateful  to  the 
benumbed  travellers.  Several  cushionless 
arm-chairs,  such  as  were  used  in  bar-rooms, 
two  tables,  a  sideboard,  half  bar  and  half 
cupboard,  and  a  rocking-chair  comprised  the 
furniture,  and  a  few  bear  and  buffalo  skins 
covered  the  floor.  Hale  sank  into  one  of  the 
arm-chairs,  and,  with  a  lazy  satisfaction, 
partly  born  of  his  fatigue  and  partly  from 
some  newly-discovered  appreciative  faculty, 
gazed  around  the  room,  and  then  at  the  mis 
tress  of  the  house,  with  whom  the  others 
were  talking. 

She  was  tall,  gaunt,  and  withered ;  in  spite 
of  her  evident  years,  her  twisted  hair  was  still 
dark  and  full,  and  her  eyes  bright  and  pierc 
ing  ;  her  complexion  and  teeth  had  long  since 
succumbed  to  the  vitiating  effects  of  frontier 
cookery,  and  her  lips  were  stained  with  the 
yellow  juice  of  a  brier-wood  pipe  she  held  in 
her  mouth.  The  ostler  had  explained  their 
intrusion,  and  veiled  their  character  under 
the  vague  epithet  of  a  "  hunting  party,"  and 


112  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

was  now  evidently  describing  them  person 
ally.  In  his  new-found  philosophy  the  fact 
that  the  interest  of  his  hostess  seemed  to  be 
excited  only  by  the  names  of  his  companions, 
that  he  himself  was  carelessly,  and  even  dep- 
recatingly,  alluded  to  as  the  "  stranger  from 
Eagle's  •"  by  the  ostler,  and  completely  over 
looked  by  the  old  woman,  gave  him  no  con 
cern. 

"  You  '11  have  to  talk  to  Zenobia  yourself. 
Dod  rot  ef  I  'm  gine  to  interfere.  She  knows 
Hennicker's  ways,  and  if  she  chooses  to  take 
in  transients  it  ain't  no  funeral  o'  mine. 
Zeenie !  You,  Zeenie  !  Look  yer  !  " 

A  tall,  lazy-looking,  handsome  girl  ap 
peared  on  the  threshold  of  the  next  room, 
and  with  a  hand  on  each  door-post  slowly 
swung  herself  backwards  and  forwards,  with 
out  entering.  "  Well,  Maw  ?  " 

The  old  woman  briefly  and  unalluringly 
pictured  the  condition  of  the  travellers. 

"  Paw  ain't  here,"  began  the  girl  doubt 
fully,  "  and  —  How  dy,  Dick !  is  that 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  113 

you?"  The  interruption  was  caused  by  her 
recognition  of  the  ostler,  and  she  lounged 
into  the  room.  In  spite  of  a  skimp,  slat 
ternly  gown,  whose  straight  skirt  clung  to 
her  lower  limbs,  there  was  a  quaint,  nymph- 
like  contour  to  her  figure.  Whether  from 
languor,  ill-health,  or  more  probably  from  a 
morbid  consciousness  of  her  own  height,  she 
moved  with  a  slightly  affected  stoop  that  had 
become  a  habit.  It  did  not  seem  ungrace 
ful  to  Hale,  already  attracted  by  her  deli 
cate  profile,  her  large  dark  eyes,  and  a  cer 
tain  weird  resemblance  she  had  to  some  half- 
domesticated  dryad. 

"  That  '11  do,  Maw,"  she  said,  dismissing 
her  parent  with  a  nod.  "  I  '11  talk  to  Dick." 

As  the  door  closed  on  the  old  woman,  Ze- 
nobia  leaned  her  hands  on  the  back  of  a 
chair,  and  confronted  the  admiring  eyes  of 
Dick  with  a  goddess-like  indifference. 

"  Now  wot 's  the  use  of  your  playin'  this 
yer  game  on  me,  Dick?  Wot 's  the  good  of 
your  ladlin'  out  that  hog-wash  about  huntin'  ? 


114  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

Huntirf  1  I  '11  tell  yer  the  huntin'  you-uns 
hev  been  at !  You  've  been  huntin'  George 
Lee  and  his  boys  since  an  hour  before  sun 
up.  You  've  been  followin'  a  blind  trail  up 
to  the  Ridge,  until  the  snow  got  up  and 
hunted  you  right  here !  You  've  been  whoop- 
in'  and  yellin'  and  circus-ridin'  on  the  roads 
like  ez  yer  wos  Comanches,  and  frightening 
all  the  women  folk  within  miles  —  that 's 
your  Kuntin' !  You  've  been  climbin'  down 
Paw's  old  slide  at  last,  and  makin'  tracks 
for  here  to  save  the  skins  of  them  condemned 
government  horses  of  the  Kempany!  And 
that 's  your  huntin' !  " 

To  Hale's  surprise,  a  burst  of  laughter 
from  the  party  followed  this  speech.  He 
tried  to  join  in,  but  this  ridiculous  summary 
of  the  result  of  his  enthusiastic  sense  of  duty 
left  him  —  the  only  earnest  believer  —  mor 
tified  and  embarrassed.  Nor  was  he  the  less 
concerned  as  he  found  the  girl's  dark  eyes 
had  rested  once  or  twice  upon  him  curiously. 

Zenobia  laughed  too,  and,  lazily  turning 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  115 

the  chair  around,  dropped  into  it.  "And 
by  this  time  George  Lee  's  loungin'  back  in 
his  chyar  and  smokin'  his  cigyar  somewhar 
in  Sacramento,"  she  added,  stretching  her 
feet  out  to  the  fire,  and  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word  with  an  imaginary  cigar  between 
the  long  fingers  of  a  thin  and  not  over-clean 
hand. 

"  We  cave,  Zeenie !  "  said  Rawlins,  when 
their  hilarity  had  subsided  to  a  more  sub 
dued  and  scarcely  less  flattering  admiration 
of  the  unconcerned  goddess  before  them. 
"  That 's  about  the  size  of  it.  You  kin  rake 
down  the  pile.  I  forgot  you  're  an  old  friend 
of  George's." 

"  He  's  a  white  man ! "  said  the  girl  de 
cidedly. 

"Ye  used  to  know  him?"  continued 
Rawlins. 

"  Once.  Paw  ain't  in  that  line  now," 
she  said  simply. 

There  was  such  a  sublime  unconsciousness 
of  any  moral  degradation  involved  in  this 


116  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

allusion  that  even  Hale  accepted  it  without 
a  shock.  She  rose  presently,  and,  going  to 
the  little  sideboard,  brought  out  a  number 
of  glasses ;  these  she  handed  to  each  of  the 
party,  and  then,  producing  a  demijohn  of 
whiskey,  slung  it  dexterously  and  gracefully 
over  her  arm,  so  that  it  rested  on  her  elbow 
like  a  cradle,  and,  going  to  each  one  in  suc 
cession,  filled  their  glasses.  It  obliged  each 
one  to  rise  to  accept  the  libation,  and  as 
Hale  did  so  in  his  turn  he  met  the  dark  eyes 
of  the  girl  full  on  his  own.  There  was  a 
pleased  curiosity  in  her  glance  that  made 
this  married  man  of  thirty-five  color  as  awk 
wardly  as  a  boy. 

The  tender  of  refreshment  being  under 
stood  as  a  tacit  recognition  of  their  claims 
to  a  larger  hospitality,  all  further  restraint 
was  removed.  Zenobia  resumed  her  seat, 
and  placing  her  elbow  on  the  arm  of  her 
chair,  and  her  small  round  chin  in  her  hand, 
looked  thoughtfully  in  the  fire.  "  When  I 
say  George  Lee 's  a  white  man,  it  ain't  be- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  117 

cause  I  know  him.  It's  his  general  gait. 
Wot 's  he  ever  done  that 's  underhanded  or 
mean  ?  Nothin' !  You  kant  show  the  poor 
man  he 's  ever  took  a  picayune  from.  When 
he 's  helped  himself  to  a  pile  it 's  been  outer 
them  banks  or  them  expresj  companies,  that 
think  it  mighty  fine  to  bust  up  themselves, 
and  swindle  the  poor  folks  o'  their  last  cent, 
and  nobody  talks  o'  huntin'  them!  And 
does  he  keep  their  money  ?  No ;  he  passes 
it  round  among  the  boys  that  help  him,  and 
they  put  it  in  circulation.  He  don't  keep 
it  for  himself;  he  ain't  got  fine  houses  in 
Frisco ;  he  don't  keep  fast  horses  for  show. 
Like  ez  not  the  critter  he  did  that  job  with 
—  ef  it  was  him  —  none  of  you  boys  would 
have  rid !  And  he  takes  all  the  risks  him 
self  ;  you  ken  bet  your  life  that  every  man 
with  him  was  safe  and  away  afore  he  turned 
his  back  on  you-uns." 

"  He  certainly  drops  a  little  of  his  money 
at  draw  poker,  Zeenie,"  said  Clinch,  laugh 
ing.  "He  lost  five  thousand  dollars  to 
Sheriff  Kelly  last  week." 


118  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  Well,  I  don't  hear  of  the  sheriff  huntin' 
him  to  give  it  back,  nor  do  I  reckon  Kelly 
handed  it  over  to  the  Express  it  was  taken 
from.  I  heard  you  won  suthin*  from  him  a 
spell  ago.  I  reckon  you  've  been  huntin' 
him  to  find  out  whar  you  should  return  it." 
The  laugh  was  clearly  against  Clinch.  He 
was  about  to  make  some  rallying  rejoinder 
when  the  young  girl  suddenly  interrupted 
him.  "  Ef  you  're  wantin'  to  hunt  somebody, 
why  don't  you  take  higher  game  ?  Thar  's 
that  Jim  Harkins:  go  for  him,  and  I'll 
join  you." 

"  Harkins !  "  exclaimed  Clinch  and  Hale 
simultaneously. 

"Yes,  Jim  Harkins ;  do  you  know  him? " 
she  said,  glancing  from  the  one  to  the  other. 

"One  of  my  friends  do,"  said  Clinch 
laughing ;  "  but  don't  let  that  stop  you." 

"And  you  —  over  there,"  continued  Ze- 
nobia,  bending  her  head  and  eyes  towards 
Hale. 

"The    fact    is  —  I    believe   he   was   my 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  119 

banker,"  said  Hale,  with  a  smile.  "  I  don't 
know  him  personally." 

"  Then  you  'd  better  hunt  him  before  he 
does  you." 

"  What 's  he  done,  Zeenie  ?  "  asked  Raw- 
lins,  keenly  enjoying  the  discomfiture  of  the 
others. 

"What  ?  "  She  stopped,  threw  her  long 
black  braids  over  her  shoulder,  clasped  her 
knee  with  her  hands,  and  rocking  backwards 
and  forwards,  sublimely  unconscious  of  the 
apparition  of  a  slim  ankle  and  half-dropped- 
off  slipper  from  under  her  shortened  gown, 
continued,  "  It  might  n't  please  him"  she 
said  slyly,  nodding  towards  Hale. 

"  Pray  don't  mind  me,"  said  Hale,  with 
unnecessary  eagerness. 

"  Well,"  said  Zenobia,  "  I  reckon  you 
all  know  Ned  Falkner  and  the  Excelsior 
Ditch?" 

"  Yes,  Falkner  's  the  superintendent  of 
it,"  said  Rawlins.  "  And  a  square  man  too. 
Thar  ain't  anything  mean  about  him." 


120  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"Shake,"  said  Zenobia,  extending  her 
hand.  Rawlins  shook  the  proffered  hand 
with  eager  spontaneousness,  and  the  girl 
resumed  :  "  He  's  about  ez  good  ez  they 
make  'em  —  you  bet.  "Well,  you  know  Ned 
has  put  all  his  money,  and  all  his  strength, 
and  all  his  s«6e,  and  "  — 

"  His  good  looks,"  added  Clinch  mis 
chievously. 

"Into  that  Ditch,"  continued  Zenobia, 
ignoring  the  interruption.  "  It 's  his  mother, 
it  's  his  sweetheart,  it  's  his  everything ! 
When  other  chaps  of  his  age  was  cavortin' 
round  Frisco,  and  havin'  high  jinks,  Ned 
was  in  his  Ditch.  '  Wait  till  the  Ditch  is 
done,'  he  used  to  say.  '  Wait  till  she  be 
gins  to  boom,  and  then  you  just  stand  round.' 
Mor'n  that,  he  got  all  the  boys  to  put  in 
their  last  cent  —  for  they  loved  Ned,  and 
love  him  now,  like  ez  ef  he  wos  a  woman." 

"That  's  so,"  said  Clinch  and  Rawlins 
simultaneously,  "  and  he  's  worth  it." 

"Well,"  continued  Zenobia,  "the  Ditch 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  121 

did  n't  boom  ez  soon  ez  they  kalkilated. 
And  then  the  boys  kept  gettm'  poorer  and 
poorer,  and  Ned  he  kept  gettin'  poorer  and 
poorer  in  everything  but  his  hopefulness  and 
grit.  Then  he  looks  around  for  more  cap 
ital.  And  about  this  time,  that  coyote  Har- 
kins  smelt  suthin'  nice  up  there,  and  he  gits 
Ned  to  give  him  control  of  it,  and  he  '11  lend 
him  his  name  and  fix  up  a  company.  Soon 
ez  he  gets  control,  the  first  thing  he  does  is 
to  say  that  it  wants  half  a  million  o'  money 
to  make  it  pay,  and  levies  an  assessment 
of  two  hundred  dollars  a  share.  That  's 
nothin'  for  them  rich  fellows  to  pay,  or  pre 
tend  to  pay,  but  for  boys  on  grub  wages  it 
meant  only  ruin.  They  could  n't  pay,  and 
had  to  forfeit  their  shares  for  next  to  noth 
ing.  And  Ned  made  one  more  desperate  at 
tempt  to  save  them  and  himself  by  borrow 
ing  money  on  his  shares  ;  when  that  hound 
Harkins  got  wind  of  it,  and  let  it  be  buzzed 
around  that  the  Ditch  is  a  failure,  and  that 
he  was  goin'  out  of  it ;  that  brought  the 


122  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

shares  down  to  nothing.  As  Ned  could  n't 
raise  a  dollar,  the  new  company  swooped 
down  on  his  shares  for  the  debts  they  had 
put  up,  and  left  him  and  the  boys  to  help 
themselves.  Ned  could  n't  bear  to  face  the 
boys  that  he  'd  helped  to  ruin,  and  put  out, 
and  ain't  been  heard  from  since.  After 
Harkins  had  got  rid  of  Ned  and  the  boys  he 
manages  to  pay  off  that  wonderful  debt,  and 
sells  out  for  a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
That  money  —  Ned's  money  —  he  sends  to 
Sacramento,  for  he  don't  dare  to  travel  with 
it  himself,  and  is  kalkilatin'  to  leave  the  ken- 
try,  for  some  of  the  boys  allow  to  kill  him  on 
sight.  So  ef  you  're  wantin'  to  hunt  suthin', 
thar  's  yer  chance,  and  you  need  n't  go  inter 
the  snow  to  do  it." 

"  But  surely  the  law  can  recover  this 
money  ?  "  said  Hale  indignantly.  "  It  is  as 
infamous  a  robbery  as  "  —  He  stopped  as 
he  caught  Zenobia's  eye. 

"  Ez  last  night's,  you  were  goin'  to  say. 
I  '11  call  it  more.  Them  road  agents  don't 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  123 

pretend  to  be  your  friend  —  but  take  yer 
money  and  run  their  risks.  For  ez  to  the 
law  —  that  can't  help  yer." 

"  It 's  a  skin  game,  and  you  might  ez  well 
expect  to  recover  a  gambling  debt  from  a 
short  card  sharp,"  explained  Clinch  ;  "  Falk- 
ner  oughter  shot  him  on  sight." 

"  Or  the  boys  lynched  him,"  suggested 
Rawlins. 

"  I  think,"  said  Hale,  more  reflectively, 
"  that  in  the  absence  of  legal  remedy  a  man 
of  that  kind  should  have  been  forced  under 
strong  physical  menace  to  give  up  his  ill- 
gotten  gains.  The  money  was  the  primary 
object,  and  if  that  could  be  got  without  blood 
shed  —  which  seems  to  me  a  useless  crime  — 
it  would  be  quite  as  effective.  Of  course,  if 
there  was  resistance  or  retaliation,  it  might 
be  necessary  to  kill  him." 

He  had  unconsciously  fallen  into  his  old 
didactic  and  dogmatic  habit  of  speech,  and 
perhaps,  under  the  spur  of  Zenobia's  eyes, 
he  had  given  it  some  natural  emphasis.  A 


124  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

dead  silence  followed,  in  which  the  others  re 
garded  him  with  amused  and  gratified  sur 
prise,  and  it  was  broken  only  by  Zenobia 
rising  and  holding  out  her  hand.  "  Shake  '  " 

Hale  raised  it  gallantly,  and  pressed  his 
lips  on  the  one  spotless  finger. 

"  That 's  gospel  truth.  And  you  ain't  the 
first  white  man  to  say  it." 

"  Indeed,"  laughed  Hale.  "  Who  was  the 
other?" 

"  George  Lee  I  " 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  laughter  that  followed  was  inter 
rupted  by  a  sudden  barking  of  the  dogs  in 
the  outer  clearing.  Zenobia  rose  lazily  and 
strode  to  the  window.  It  relieved  Hale  of 
certain  embarrassing  reflections  suggested 
by  her  comment. 

"  Ef  it  ain't  that  God-forsaken  fool  Dick 
bringing  up  passengers  from  the  snow-bound 
up  stage  in  the  road !  I  reckon  /  've  got 
suthin'  to  say  to  that !  "  But  the  later  ap 
pearance  of  the  apologetic  Dick,  with  the  as 
surance  that  the  party  carried  a  permission 
from  her  father,  granted  at  the  lower  station 
in  view  of  such  an  emergency,  checked  her 
active  opposition.  "  That 's  like  Paw,"  she 
soliloquized  aggrievedly;  "shuttin'  us  up 
and  settin'  dogs  on  everybody  for  a  week, 
and  then  lettin'  the  whole  stage  service  pass 


126  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

through  one  door  and  out  at  another.  Well, 
it  's  his  house  and  his  whiskey,  and  they 
kin  take  it,  but  they  don't  get  me  to  help 
'em." 

They  certainly  were  not  a  prepossessing  or 
good-natured  acquisition  to  the  party.  Apart 
from  the  natural  antagonism  which,  on  such 
occasions,  those  in  possession  always  feel  to 
wards  the  new-comer,  they  were  strongly  in 
clined  to  resist  the  dissatisfied  querulousness 
and  aggressive  attitude  of  these  fresh  ap 
plicants  for  hospitality.  The  most  offensive 
one  was  a  person  who  appeared  to  exercise 
some  authority  over  the  others.  He  was 
loud,  assuming,  and  dressed  with  vulgar  pre 
tension.  He  quickly  disposed,  himself  in 
the  chair  vacated  by  Zenobia,  and  called  for 
some  liquor. 

"  I  reckon  you  '11  hev  to  help  yourself," 
said  Rawlins  dryly,  as  the  summons  met 
with  no  response.  "  There  are  only  two  wo 
men  in  the  house,  and  I  reckon  their  hands 
are  full  already." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  127 

"  I  call  it  d — d  uncivil  treatment,"  said 
the  man,  raising  his  voice  ;  "  and  Hennicker 
had  better  sing  smaller  if  he  don't  want  his 
old  den  pulled  down  some  day.  He  ain't 
any  better  than  men  that  hev  been  picked 
up  afore  now." 

"  You  oughter  told  him  that,  and  mebbe 
he  'd  hev  come  over  with  yer,"  returned  Raw- 
lins.  "  He  's  a  mild,  soft,  easy-going  man, 
is  Hennicker!  Ain't  he,  Colonel  Clinch?" 

The  casual  mention  of  Clinch's  name  pro 
duced  the  effect  which  the  speaker  probably 
intended.  The  stranger  stared  at  Clinch, 
who,  apparently  oblivious  of  the  conversa 
tion,  was  blinking  his  cold  gray  eyes  at  the 
fire.  Dropping  his  aggressive  tone  to  mere 
querulousness,  the  man  sought  the  whiskey 
demijohn,  and  helped  himself  and  his  com 
panions.  Fortified  by  liquor  he  returned  to 
the  fire. 

"  I  reckon  you  've  heard  about  this  yer  rob 
bery,  Colonel,"  he  said,  addressing  Clinch, 
with  an  attempt  at  easy  familiarity. 


128  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S, 

Without  raising  his  eyes  from  the  fire, 
Clinch  briefly  assented,  "  I  reckon." 

"  I  'm  up  yer,  examining  into  it,  for  the 
Express." 

"  Lost  much  ?  "  asked  Rawlins. 

"  Not  so  much  ez  they  might  hev.  That 
fool  Harkins  had  a  hundred  thousand  dol 
lars  in  greenbacks  sealed  up  like  an  ordinary 
package  of  a  thousand  dollars,  and  gave  it 
to  a  friend,  Bill  Guthrie,  in  the  bank  to  pick 
out  some  unlikely  chap  among  the  passen 
gers  to  take  charge  of  it  to  Reno.  He 
would  n't  trust  the  Express.  Ha  !  ha !  " 

The  dead,  oppressive  silence  that  followed 
his  empty  laughter  made  it  seem  almost  arti 
ficial.  Rawlins  held  his  breath  and  looked 
at  Clinch.  Hale,  with  the  instincts  of  a  re 
fined,  sensitive  man,  turned  hot  with  the  em 
barrassment  Clinch  should  have  shown.  For 
that  gentleman,  without  lifting  his  eyes  from 
the  fire,  and  with  no  apparent  change  in  his 
demeanor,  lazily  asked  — 

"  Ye  did  n't  ketch  the  name  o'  that  pas 
senger  ?  " 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLETS.  129 

"  Naturally,  no !  For  when  Guthrie  hears 
what  was  said  agin  him  he  would  n't  give 
his  name  until  he  heard  from  him." 

"  And  what  was  said  agin  him  ?  "  asked 
Clinch  musingly. 

"What  would  be  said  agin  a  man  that 
give  up  that  sum  o'  money,  like  a  chaw  of 
tobacco,  for  the  asking  ?  Why,  there  were 
but  three  men,  as  far  ez  we  kin  hear,  that 
did  the  job.  And  there  were  four  passen 
gers  inside,  armed,  and  the  driver  and  ex 
press  messenger  on  the  box.  Six  were  robbed 
by  three  !  —  they  were  a  sweet-scented  lot ! 
Reckon  they  must  hev  felt  mighty  small,  for 
I  hear  they  got  up  and  skedaddled  from  the 
station  under  the  pretext  of  lookiu'  for  the 
robbers."  He  laughed  again,  and  the  laugh 
was  noisily  repeated  by  his  five  companions 
at  the  other  end  of  the  room. 

Hale,  who  had  forgotten  that  the  stranger 
was  only  echoing  a  part  of  his  own  criticism 
of  eight  hours  before,  was  on  the  point  of 
rising  with  burning  cheeks  and  angry  in- 


130  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

dignation,  when  the  lazily  uplifted  eye  of 
Clinch  caught  his,  and  absolutely  held  him 
down  with  its  paralyzing  and  deadly  signif 
icance.  Murder  itself  seemed  to  look  from 
those  cruelly  quiet  and  remorseless  gray 
pupils.  For  a  moment  he  forgot  his  own 
rage  in  this  glimpse  of  Clinch's  implacable 
resentment ;  for  a  moment  he  felt  a  thrill  of 
pity  for  the  wretch  who  had  provoked  it. 
He  remained  motionless  and  fascinated  in 
his  chair  as  the  lazy  lids  closed  like  a  sheath 
over  Clinch's  eyes  again.  Rawlins,  who  had 
probably  received  the  same  glance  of  warn 
ing,  remained  equally  still. 

"  They  have  n't  heard  the  last  of  it  yet, 
you  bet,"  continued  the  infatuated  stranger. 
"  I  Ve  got  a  little  statement  here  for  the 
newspaper,"  he  added,  drawing  some  papers 
from  his  pocket ;  "  suthin'  I  just  run  off  in 
the  coach  as  I  came  along.  I  reckon  it  '11 
show  things  up  in  a  new  light.  It  's  time 
there  should  be  some  change.  All  the  cussin' 
that's  been  usually  done  hez  been  by  the 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  131 

passengers  agin  the  express  and  stage  com 
panies.  I  propose  that  the  Company  should 
do  a  little  cussin'  themselves.  See  ?  P'r'aps 
you  don't  mind  my  readin'  it  to  ye  ?  It  's 
just  spicy  enough  to  suit  them  newspaper 
chaps." 

"  Go  on,"  said  Colonel  Clinch  quietly. 

The  man  cleared  his  throat,  with  the  pre 
liminary  pose  of  authorship,  and  his  five 
friends,  to  whom  the  composition  was  evi 
dently  not  unfamiliar,  assumed  anticipatory 
smiles. 

"I  call  it  'Prize  Pusillanimous  Passen 
gers.'  Sort  of  runs  easy  off  the  tongue,  you 
know. 

" '  It  now  appears  that  the  success  of  the 
late  stage-coach  robbery  near  the  Summit 
was  largely  due  to  the  pusillanimity  —  not  to 
use  a  more  serious  word'  "  —  He  stopped, 
and  looked  explanatorily  towards  Clinch : 
"  Ye  '11  see  in  a  minit  what  I  'm  gettin'  at 
by  that  pusillanimity  of  the  passengers  them 
selves,  'it  now  transpires  that  there  were 


132  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

only  three  robbers  who  attacked  the  coach, 
and  that  although  passengers,  driver,  and 
express  messenger  were  fully  armed,  and 
were  double  the  number  of  their  assailants, 
not  a  shot  was  fired.  We  mean  no  reflec 
tions  upon  the  well-known  courage  of  Yuba 
Bill,  nor  the  experience  and  coolness  of 
Bracy  Tibbetts,  the  courteous  express  mes 
senger,  both  of  whom  have  since  confessed 
to  have  been  more  than  astonished  at  the 
Christian  and  lamb-like  submission  of  the 
insiders.  Amusing  stories  of  some  laugh 
able  yet  sickening  incidents  of  the  occasion 
—  such  as  grown  men  kneeling  in  the  road, 
and  offering  to  strip  themselves  completely, 
if  their  lives  were  only  spared ;  of  one  of 
the  passengers  hiding  under  the  seat,  and 
only  being  dislodged  by  pulling  his  coat- 
tails  ;  of  incredible  sums  promised,  and  even 
offers  of  menial  service,  for  the  preserva 
tion  of  their  wretched  carcases  —  are  re 
ceived  with  the  greatest  gusto ;  but  we  are 
in  possession  of  facts  which  may  lead  to 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  133 

more  serious  accusations.  Although  one  of 
the  passengers  is  said  to  have  lost  a  large 
sum  of  money  intrusted  to  him,  while  at 
tempting  with  barefaced  effrontery  to  es 
tablish  a  rival  "  carrying  "  business  in  one 
of  the  Express  Company's  own  coaches '  — 
I  call  that  a  good  point."  He  interrupted 
himself  to  allow  the  unrestrained  applause 
of  his  own  party.  "  Don't  you  ?  " 

"  It 's  just  h — 11,"  said  Clinch  musingly. 

" '  Yet  the  affair,'  "  resumed  the  stranger, 
from  his  manuscript,  "  '  is  locked  up  in  great 
and  suspicious  mystery.  The  presence  of 
Jackson  N.  Stanner,  Esq.'  (that  's  me), 
'special  detective  agent  to  the  Company, 
and  his  staff  in  town,  is  a  guaranty  that  the 
mystery  will  be  thoroughly  probed.'  Hed  to 
put  that  in  to  please  the  Company,"  he 
again  deprecatingly  explained.  "  '  We  are 
indebted  to  this  gentleman  for  the  facts.'  " 

"  The  pint  you  want  to  make  in  that  ar 
ticle,"  said  Clinch,  rising,  but  still  directing 
his  face  and  his  conversation  to  the  fire,  "  ez 


134  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

far  ez  I  ken  see  ez  that  no  three  men  kin 
back  down  six  unless  they  be  cowards,  or 
are  willing  to  be  backed  down." 

"  That  's  the  point  what  I  start  from," 
rejoined  Stanner,  "  and  work  up.  I  leave 
it  to  you  ef  it  ain't  so." 

"  I  can't  say  ez  I  agree  with  you,"  said 
the  Colonel  dryly.  He  turned,  and  still 
without  lifting  his  eyes  walked  towards  the 
door  of  the  room  which  Zenobia  had  en 
tered.  The  key  was  on  the  inside,  but 
Clinch  gently  opened  the  door,  removed  the 
key,  and  closing  the  door  again  locked  it 
from  his  side.  Hale  and  Kawlins  felt  their 
hearts  beat  quickly ;  the  others  followed 
Clinch's  slow  movements  and  downcast  mien 
with  amused  curiosity.  After  locking  the 
other  outlet  from  the  room,  and  putting  the 
keys  in  his  pocket,  Clinch  returned  to  the 
fire.  For  the  first  time  he  lifted  his  eyes ; 
the  man  nearest  him  shrank  back  in  terror. 

"I  am  the  man,"  he  said  slowly,  taking 
deliberate  breath  between  his  sentences, 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  135 

"  who  gave  up  those  greenbacks  to  the  rob 
bers.  I  am  one  of  the  three  passengers  you 
have  lampooned  -in  that  paper,  and  these  gen 
tlemen  beside  me  are  the  other  two."  He 
stopped  and  looked  around  him.  "  You 
don't  believe  that  three  men  can  back  down 
six!  Well,  I  '11  show  you  how  it  can  be 
done.  More  than  that,  I  '11  show  you  how 
ONE  man  can  do  it  ;  for,  by  the  living 
G— d,  if  you  don't  hand  over  that  paper 
I  '11  kill  you  where  you  sit !  I  '11  give  you 
until  I  count  ten  ;  if  one  of  you  moves  he 
and  you  are  dead  men  —  but  you  first !  " 

Before  he  had  finished  speaking  Hale  and 
Rawlins  had  both  risen,  as  if  in  concert, 
with  their  weapons  drawn.  Hale  could  not 
tell  how  or  why  he  had  done  so,  but  he  was 
equally  conscious,  without  knowing  why,  of 
fixing  his  eye  on  one  of  the  other  party,  and 
that  he  should,  in  the  event  of  an  affray,  try 
to  kill  him.  He  did  not  attempt  to  reason  ; 
he  only  knew  that  he  should  do  his  best  to 
kill  that  man  and  perhaps  others. 


136  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  One,"  said  Clinch,  lifting  his  derringer, 
"  two  —  three  "  — 

"  Look  here,  Colonel  —  -I  swear  I  did  n't 
know  it  was  you.  Come  —  d — m  it !  I  say 
—  see  here,"  stammered  Stanner,  with  white 
cheeks,  not  daring  to  glance  for  aid  to  his 
stupefied  party. 

"  Four  —  five  —  six  "  — 

"  Wait !  Here !  "  He  produced  the  paper 
and  threw  it  on  the  floor. 

"  Pick  it  up  and  hand  it  to  me.  Seven  — 
eight"  — 

Stanner  hastily  scrambled  to  his  feet, 
picked  up  the  paper,  and  handed  it  to  the 
Colonel.  "  I  was  only  joking,  Colonel,"  he 
said,  with  a  forced  laugh.  . 

"  I  'm  glad  to  hear  it.  But  as  this  joke 
is  in  black  and  white,  you  would  n't  mind 
saying  so  in  the  same  fashion.  Take  that 
pen  and  ink  and  write  as  I  dictate.  '  I  cer 
tify  that  I  am  satisfied  that  the  above  state 
ment  is  a  base  calumny  against  the  charac 
ters  of  Ringwood  Clinch,  Robert  Rawlins, 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  137 

and  John  Hale,  passengers,  and  that  I  do 
hereby  apologize  to  the  same.'  Sign  it. 
That  '11  do.  Now  let  the  rest  of  your  party 
sign  as  witnesses." 

They  complied  without  hesitation ;  some, 
seizing  the  opportunity  of  treating  the  affair 
as  a  joke,  suggested  a  drink. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Clinch  quietly,  "  but 
ez  this  house  ain't  big  enough  for  me  and 
that  man,  and  ez  I  've  got  business  at  Wild 
Cat  Station  with  this  paper,  I  think  I  '11  go 
without  drinkin'."  He  took  the  keys  from 
his  pocket,  unlocked  the  doors,  and  taking 
up  his  overcoat  and  rifle  turned  as  if  to  go. 

Rawlins  rose  to  follow  him ;  Hale  alone 
hesitated.  The  rapid  occurrences  of  the  last 
half  hour  gave  him  no  time  for  reflection. 
But  he  was  by  no  means  satisfied  of  the  le 
gality  of  the  last  act  he  had  aided  and  abet 
ted,  although  he  admitted  its  rude  justice, 
and  felt  he  would  have  done  so  again.  A 
fear  of  this,  and  an  instinct  that  he  might 
be  led  into  further  complications  if  he  con- 


138  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

tinued  to  identify  himself  with  Clinch  and 
Rawlins ;  the  fact  that  they  had  professedly 
abandoned  their  quest,  and  that  it  was  really 
supplanted  by  the  presence  of  an  authorized 
party  whom  they  had  already  come  in  con 
flict  with  —  all  this  urged  him  to  remain  be 
hind.  On  the  other  hand,  the  apparent  de 
sertion  of  his  comrades  at  the  last  moment 
was  opposed  both  to  his  sense  of  honor  and 
the  liking  he  had  taken  to  them.  But  he 
reflected  that  he  had  already  shown  his  ac 
tive  partisanship,  that  he  could  be  of  little 
service  to  them  at  Wild  Cat  Station,  and 
would  be  only  increasing  the  distance  from 
his  home  ;  and  above  all,  an  impatient  long 
ing  for  independent  action  finally  decided 
him.  "  I  think  I  will  stay  here,"  he  said  to 
Clinch,  "  unless  you  want  me." 

Clinch  cast  a  swift  and  meaning  glance 
at  the  enemy,  but  looked  approval.  "  Keep 
your  eyes  skinned,  and  you  're  good  for  a 
dozen  of  'em,"  he  said,  sotto  voce,  and  then 
turned  to  Stanner.  "  I  'm  going  to  take 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  139 

this  paper  to  Wild  Cat.  If  you  want  to 
communicate  with  me  hereafter  you  know 
where  I  am  to  be  found,  unless  "  —  he  smiled 
grimly  —  "  you  'd  like  to  see  me  outside  for 
a  few  minutes  before  I  go  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  matter  that  concerns  the  Stage 
Company,  not  me,"  said  Stanner,  with  an 
attempt  to  appear  at  his  ease. 

Hale  accompanied  Clinch  and  Rawlins 
through  the  kitchen  to  the  stables.  The 
ostler,  Dick,  had  already  returned  to  the 
rescue  of  the  snow-bound  coach. 

"  I  should  n't  like  to  leave  many  men 
alone  with  that  crowd,"  said  Clinch,  press 
ing  Male's  hand  ;  "  and  I  would  n't  have  al 
lowed  your  staying  behind  ef  I  did  n't  know 
I  could  bet  my  pile  on  you.  Your  offerin' 
to  stay  just  puts  a  clean  finish  on  it.  Look 
yer,  Hale,  I  did  n't  cotton  much  to  you  at 
first ;  but  ef  you  ever  want  a  friend,  call  on 
Ringwood  Clinch." 

"  The  same  here,  old  man,"  said  Rawlins, 
extending  his  hand  as  he  appeared  from  a 


140  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

hurried  conference  with  the  old  woman  at 
the  woodshed,  "  and  trust  to  Zeenie  to  give 
you  a  hint  ef  there 's  anythin'  underhanded 
goin'  on.  So  long." 

Half  inclined  to  resent  this  implied  sug 
gestion  of  protection,  yet  half  pleased  at  the 
idea  of  a  confidence  with  the  handsome  girl 
he  had  seen,  Hale  returned  to  the  room.  A 
whispered  discussion  among  the  party  ceased 
on  his  entering,  and  an  awkward  silence  fol 
lowed,  which  Hale  did  not  attempt  to  break 
as  he  quietly  took  his  seat  again  by  the  fire. 
He  was  presently  confronted  by  Stanner, 
who  with  an  affectation  of  easy  familiarity 
crossed  over  to  the  hearth. 

"  The  old  Kernel 's  d — d  peppery  and  high 
toned  when  he  's  got  a  little  more  than  his 
reg'lar  three  fingers  o'  corn  juice,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  must  beg  you  to  understand  distinctly, 
Mr.  Stanner,"  said  Hale,  with  a  return  of 
his  habitual  precision  of  statement,  "  that  I 
regard  any  slighting  allusion  to  the  gentle 
man  who  has  just  left  not  only  as  in  exceed- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  141 

ingly  bad  taste  coming  from  you,  but  very 
offensive  to  myself.  If  you  mean  to  imply 
that  he  was  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  it 
is  my  duty  to  undeceive  you  ;  he  was  so  per 
fectly  in  possession  of  his  faculties  as  to  ex 
press  not  only  his  own  but  my  opinion  of 
your  conduct.  You  must  also  admit  that  he 
was  discriminating  enough  to  show  his  ob 
jection  to  your  company  by  leaving  it.  I  re 
gret  that  circumstances  do  not  make  it  con 
venient  for  me  to  exercise  that  privilege  ; 
but  if  I  am  obliged  to  put  up  with  your 
presence  in  this  room,  I  strongly  insist  that 
it  is  not  made  unendurable  with  the  addition 
of  your  conversation." 

The  effect  of  this  deliberate  and  passion 
less  declaration  was  more  discomposing  to 
the  party  than  Clinch's  fury.  Utterly  unac 
customed  to  the  ideas  and  language  suddenly 
confronting  them,  they  were  unable  to  deter 
mine  whether  it  was  the  real  expression  of 
the  speaker,  or  whether  it  was  a  vague  badi 
nage  or  affectation  to  which  any  reply  would 


142  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

involve  them  in  ridicule.  In  a  country  ter 
rorized  by  practical  joking,  they  did  not 
doubt  but  that  this  was  a  new  form  of  hoax 
ing  calculated  to  provoke  some  response  that 
would  constitute  them  as  victims.  The  im 
mediate  effect  upon  them  was  that  com 
plete  silence  in  regard  to  himself  that  Hale 
desired.  They  drew  together  again  and  con 
versed  in  whispers,  while  Hale,  with  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  fire,  gave  himself  up  to  some 
what  late  and  useless  reflection. 

He  could  scarcely  realize  his  position. 
For  however  he  might  look  at  it,  within  a 
space  of  twelve  hours  he  had  not  only 
changed  some  of  his  most  cherished  opin 
ions,  but  he  had  acted  in  accordance  with 
that  change  in  a  way  that  made  it  seem  al 
most  impossible  for  him  ever  to  recant.  In 
the  interests  of  law  and  order  he  had  en 
gaged  in  an  unlawful  and  disorderly  pur 
suit  of  criminals,  and  had  actually  come  in 
conflict  not  with  the  criminals,  but  with  the 
only  party  apparently  authorized  to  pursue 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  143 

them.  More  than  that,  he  was  finding  him 
self  committed  to  a  certain  sympathy  with 
the  criminals.  Twenty-four  hours  ago,  if 
any  one  had  told  him  that  he  would  have 
condoned  an  illegal  act  for  its  abstract  jus 
tice,  or  assisted  to  commit  an  illegal  act  for 
the  same  purpose,  he  would  have  felt  him 
self  insulted.  That  he  knew  he  would  not 
now  feel  it  as  an  insult  perplexed  him  still 
more.  In  these  circumstances  the  fact  that 
he  was  separated  from  his  family,  and  as  it 
were  from  all  his  past  life  and  traditions, 
by  a  chance  accident,  did  not  disturb  him 
greatly ;  indeed,  he  was  for  the  first  time  a 
little  doubtful  of  their  probable  criticism  on 
his  inconsistency,  and  was  by  no  means  in  a 
hurry  to  subject  himself  to  it. 

Lifting  his  eyes,  he  was  suddenly  aware 
that  the  door  leading  to  the  kitchen  was 
slowly  opening.  He  had  thought  he  heard 
it  creak  once  or  twice  during  his  deliberate 
reply  to  Stanner.  It  was  evidently  moving 
now  so  as  to  attract  his  attention,  without 


144  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

disturbing  the  others.  It  presently  opened 
sufficiently  wide  to  show  the  face  of  Zeenie, 
who,  with  a  gesture  of  caution  towards  his 
companions,  beckoned  him  to  join  her.  He 
rose  carelessly  as  if  going  out,  and,  putting 
on  his  hat,  entered  the  kitchen  as  the  re 
treating  figure  of  the  young  girl  glided 
lightly  towards  the  stables.  She  ascended  a 
few  open  steps  as  if  to  a  hay-loft,  but  stopped 
before  a  low  door.  Pushing  it  open,  she 
preceded  him  into  a  small  room,  apparently 
under  the  roof,  which  scarcely  allowed  her 
to  stand  upright.  By  the  light  of  a  stable 
lantern  hanging  from  a  beam  he  saw  that, 
though  poorly  furnished,  it  bore  some  evi 
dence  of  feminine  taste  and  habitation. 
Motioning  to  the  only  chair,  she  seated  her 
self  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  with  her  hands 
clasping  her  knees  in  her  familiar  attitude. 
Her  face  bore  traces  of  recent  agitation,  and 
her  eyes  were  shining  with  tears.  By  the 
closer  light  of  the  lantern  he  was  surprised 
to  find  it  was  from  laughter. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  145 

"  I  reckoned  you  'd  be  right  lonely  down 
there  with  that  Stanner  crowd,  particklerly 
after  that  little  speech  o'  your'n,  so  I  sez  to 
Maw  I  'd  get  you  up  yer  for  a  spell.  Maw 
and  I  heerd  you  exhort  'em  !  Maw  allowed 
you  woz  talkin'  a  furrin'  tongue  all  along, 
but  I  —  sakes  alive  !  —  I  hed  to  hump  my 
self  to  keep  from  bustin'  into  a  yell  when 
yer  jist  d  rawed  them  Webster-unabridged 
sentences  on  'em."  She  stopped  and  rocked 
backwards  and  forwards  with  a  laugh  that, 
subdued  by  the  proximity  of  the  roof  and 
the  fear  of  being  overheard,  was  by  no 
means  unmusical.  "  I  '11  tell  ye  whot  got 
me,  though  !  That  part  commencing,  '  Suck- 
amstances  over  which  I  've  no  controul.' ' 

"  Oh,  come !  I  did  n't  say  that,"  inter 
rupted  Hale,  laughing. 

"  '  Don't  make  it  convenient  for  me  to  ex 
ercise  the  privilege  of  kickin'  yer  out  to  that 
extent,'  "  she  continued  ;  "  '  but  if  I  cannot 
dispense  with  your  room,  the  least  I  can  say 
is  that  it 's  a  d — d  sight  better  than  your 


146  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLETS. 

company '  —  or  suthin'  like  that !  And  then 
the  way  you  minded  your  stops,  and  let  your 
voice  rise  and  fall  just  ez  easy  ez  if  you  wos 
a  First  Reader  in  large  type.  Why,  the 
Kernel  was  n't  nowhere.  His  cussin'  did  n't 
come  within  a  mile  o'  yourn.  That  Stanner 
jist  turned  yaller." 

*'  I  'm  afraid  you  are  laughing  at  me," 
said  Hale,  not  knowing  whether  to  be 
pleased  or  vexed  at  the  girl's  amusement. 

"  I  reckon  I  'm  the  only  one  that  dare  do 
it,  then,"  said  the  girl,  simply.  "  The  Ker 
nel  sez  the  way  you  turned  round  after  he  'd 
done  his  cussin',  and  said  yer  believed  you  'd 
stay  and  take  the  responsibility  of  the  whole 
thing  —  and  did  in  that  kam,  soft,  did-any- 
body-speak-to-me  style  —  was  the  neatest 
thing  he  'd  seen  yet !  No  !  Maw  says  I  ain't 
much  on  manners,  but  I  know  a  man  when 
I  see  him." 

For  an  instant  Hale  gave  himself  up  to 
the  delicious  flattery  of  unexpected,  unin 
tended,  and  apparently  uninterested  compli- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  147 

ment.  Becoming  at  last  a  little  embarrassed 
under  the  frank  curiosity  of  the  girl's  dark 
eyes,  he  changed  the  subject. 

"  Do  you  always  come  up  here  through 
the  stables  ?  "  he  asked,  glancing  round  the 
room,  which  was  evidently  her  own. 

"  I  reckon,"  she  answered  half  abstract 
edly.  "  There  's  a  ladder  down  thar  to 
Maw's  room  " —  pointing  to  a  trap-door  be 
side  the  broad  chimney  that  served  as  a 
wall  —  "  but  it 's  handier  the  other  way,  and 
nearer  the  hosses  ef  you  want  to  get  away 
quick." 

This  palpable  suggestion  —  borne  out  by 
what  he  remembered  of  the  other  domestic 
details  —  that  the  house  had  been  planned 
with  reference  to  sudden  foray  or  escape 
reawakened  his  former  uneasy  reflections. 
Zeenie,  who  had  been  watching  his  face, 
added,  "  It 's  no  slouch,  when  b'ar  or  pain 
ters  hang  round  nights  and  stampede  the 
stock,  to  be  able  to  swing  yourself  on  to  a 
hoss  whenever  you  hear  a  row  goin'  on  out 
side." 


148  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  "  — 

"  Paw  used,  and  I  do  now,  sense  I  've 
come  into  the  room."  She  pointed  to  a  non 
descript  garment,  half  cloak,  half  habit, 
hanging  on  the  wall.  "  I  Ve  been  outer  bed 
and  on  Pitchpine's  back  as  far  ez  the  trail 
five  minutes  arter  I  heard  the  first  bellow." 

Hale  regarded  her  with  undisguised  as 
tonishment.  There  was  nothing  at  all  Ama 
zonian  or  horsey  in  her  manners,  nor  was 
there  even  the  robust  physical  contour  that 
might  have  been  developed  through  such 
experiences.  On  the  contrary,  she  seemed 
to  be  lazily  effeminate  in  body  and  mind. 
Heedless  of  his  critical  survey  of  her,  she 
beckoned  him  to  draw  his  chair  nearer,  and, 
looking  into  his  eyes,  said  — 

"  Whatever  possessed  you  to  take  to  hunt- 
in' men?" 

Hale  was  staggered  by  the  question,  but 
nevertheless  endeavored  to  explain.  But  he 
was  surprised  to  find  that  his  explanation 
appeared  stilted  even  to  himself,  and,  he 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  149 

could  not  doubt,  was  utterly  incomprehensi 
ble  to  the  girl.  She  nodded  her  head,  how 
ever,  and  continued  — 

"  Then  you  have  n't  anythin'  agin* 
George  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  George,"  said  Hale,  smil 
ing.  "  My  proceeding  was  against  the  high 
wayman." 

"  Well,  he  was  the  highwayman." 

"  I  mean,  it  was  the  principle  I  objected 
to  —  a  principle  that  I  consider  highly  dan 
gerous." 

"  Well,  he  is  the  principal,  for  the  others 
only  helped,  I  reckon,"  said  Zeenie  with  a 
sigh,  "  and  I  reckon  he  is  dangerous." 

Hale  saw  it  was  useless  to  explain.  The 
girl  continued  — 

"  What  made  you  stay  here  instead  of  go 
ing  on  with  the  Kernel?  There  was  suthin' 
else  besides  your  wanting  to  make  that  Stan- 
ner  take  water.  What  is  it  ?  " 

A  light  sense  of  the  propinquity  of  beauty, 
of  her  confidence,  of  their  isolation,  of  the 


150  SNOW-QOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

eloquence  of  her  dark  eyes,  at  first  tempted 
Hale  to  a  reply  of  simple  gallantry  ;  a 
graver  consideration  of  the  same  circum 
stances  froze  it  upon  his  lips. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  returned  awkwardly. 

"Well,  I  '11  tell  you,"  she  said.  "You 
did  n't  cotton  to  the  Kernel  and  Rawlins 
much  more  than  you  did  to  Stanner.  They 
ain^t  your  kind." 

In  his  embarrassment  Hale  blundered 
upon  the  thought  he  had  honorably  avoided. 

"  Suppose,"  he  said,  with  a  constrained 
laugh,  "  I  had  stayed  to  see  you." 

"  I  reckon  /  ain't  your  kind,  neither,"  she 
replied  promptly.  There  was  a  momentary 
pause  when  she  rose  and  walked  to  the  chim 
ney.  "  It  's  very  quiet  down  there,"  she  said, 
stooping  and  listening  over  the  roughly- 
boarded  floor  that  formed  the  ceiling  of  the 
room  below.  "  I  wonder  what  's  going  on." 

In  the  belief  that  this  was  a  delicate  hint 
for  his  return  to  the  party  he  had  left,  Hale 
rose,  but  the  girl  passed  him  hurriedly,  and, 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  151 

opening  the  door,  cast  a  quick  glance  into 
the  stable  beyond. 

"  Just  as  I  reckoned  —  the  horses  are 
gone  too.  They  've  skedaddled,"  she  said 
blankly. 

Hale  did  not  reply.  In  his  embarrass 
ment  a  moment  ago  the  idea  of  taking  an 
equally  sudden  departure  had  flashed  upon 
him.  Should  he  take  this  as  a  justification  oiJ 
that  impulse,  or  how?  He  stood  irresolutely 
gazing  at  the  girl,  who  turned  and  began  to 
descend  the  stairs  silently.  He  followed. 
When  they  reached  the  lower  room  they 
found  it  as  they  had  expected  —  deserted. 

"I  hope  I  did  n't  drive  them  away,"  said 
Hale,  with  an  uneasy  look  at  the  troubled 
face  of  the  girl.  "  For  I  really  had  an  idea 
of  going  myself  a  moment  ago." 

She  remained  silent,  gazing  out  of  the  win 
dow.  Then,  turning  with  a  slight  shrug  of 
her  shoulders,  said  half  defiantly :  "  What 's 
the  use  now  ?  Oh,  Maw !  the  Stanner  crowd 
has  vamosed  the  ranch,  and  this  yer  stranger 
kalkilates  to  stay  !  " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  WEEK  had  passed  at  Eagle's  Court  —  a 
week  of  mingled  clouds  and  sunshine  by  day, 
of  rain  over  the  green  plateau  and  snow  on 
the  mountain  by  night.  Each  morning  had 
brought  its  fresh  greenness  to  the  winter- 
girt  domain,  and  a  fresh  coat  of  dazzling 
white  to  the  barrier  that  separated  its  dwell 
ers  from  the  world  beyond.  There  was  lit 
tle  change  in  the  encompassing  wall  of  their 
prison  ;  if  anything,  the  snowy  circle  round 
them  seemed  to  have  drawn  its  lines  nearer 
day  by  day.  The  immediate  result  of  this 
restricted  limit  had  been  to  confine  the 
range  of  cattle  to  the  meadows  nearer  the 
house,  and  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  fringe 
of  wilderness  now  invaded  by  the  prowling 
tread  of  predatory  animals. 

Nevertheless,  the  two  figures  lounging  on 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  153 

the  slope  at  sunset  gave  very  little  indica 
tion  of  any  serious  quality  in  the  situation. 
Indeed,  so  far  as  appearances  were  con 
cerned,  Kate,  who  was  returning  from  an 
afternoon  stroll  with  Falkner,  exhibited, 
with  feminine  inconsistency,  a  decided  re 
turn  to  the  world  of  fashion  and  conven 
tionality  apparently  just  as  she  was  effectu 
ally  excluded  from  it.  She  had  not  only 
discarded  her  white  dress  as  a  concession  to 
the  practical  evidence  of  the  surrounding 
winter,  but  she  had  also  brought  out  a 
feather  hat  and  sable  muff  which  had  once 
graced  a  fashionable  suburb  of  Boston.  Even 
Falkner  had  exchanged  his  slouch  hat  and 
picturesque  serape  for  a  beaver  overcoat  and 
fur  cap  of  Hale's  which  had  been  pressed 
upon  him  by  Kate,  under  the  excuse  of  the 
exigencies  of  the  season.  Within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  thicket,  turbulent  with  the  sav 
age  forces  of  nature,  they  walked  with  the 
abstraction  of  people  hearing  only  their  own 
voices ;  in  the  face  of  the  solemn  peaks 


154  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

clothed  with  white  austerity  they  talked 
gravely  of  dress. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say,"  said  Kate  demure 
ly,  "  that  you  're  to  give  up  the  serape  en 
tirely  ;  you  can  wear  it  on  rainy  nights  and 
when  you  ride  over  here  from  your  friend's 
house  to  spend  the  evening  —  for  the  sake 
of  old  times,"  she  added,  with  an  uncon 
scious  air  of  referring  to  an  already  anti 
quated  friendship ;  "  but  you  must  admit  it 's 
a  little  too  gorgeous  and  theatrical  for  the 
sunlight  of  day  and  the  public  highway." 

"  But  why  should  that  make  it  wrong,  if 
the  experience  of  a  people  has  shown  it  to 
be  a  garment  best  fitted  for  their  wants  and 
requirements  ?  "  said  Falkner  argumenta- 
tively. 

"  But  you  are  not  one  of  those  people," 
said  Kate,  "  and  that  makes  all  the  differ 
ence.  You  look  differently  and  act  differ 
ently,  so  that  there  is  something  irreconcil 
able  between  your  clothes  and  you  that 
makes  you  look  odd." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  155 

"  And  to  look  odd,  according  to  your  civil 
ized  prejudices,  is  to  be  wrong,"  said  Falk- 
ner  bitterly. 

"  It  is  to  seem  different  from  what  one 
really  is  —  which  is  wrong.  Now,  you  are 
a  mining  superintendent,  you  tell  me.  Then 
you  don't  want  to  look  like  a  Spanish  brig 
and,  as  you  do  in  that  scrape.  I  am  sure  if 
you  had  ridden  up  to  a  stage-coach  while  I 
was  in  it,  I  'd  have  handed  you  my  watch 
and  purse  without  a  word.  There  !  you  are 
not  offended  ? "  she  added,  with  a  laugh, 
which  did  not,  however,  conceal  a  certain 
earnestness.  "  I  suppose  I  ought  to  have 
said  I  would  have  given  it  gladly  to  such  a 
romantic  figure,  and  perhaps  have  got  out 
and  danced  a  saraband  or  bolero  with  you 
—  if  that  is  the  thing  to  do  nowadays. 
Well ! "  ?he  said,  after  a  dangerous  pause, 
"  consider  that  I  've  said  it." 

He  had  been  walking  a  little  before  her, 
with  his  face  turned  towards  the  distant 
mountain.  Suddenly  he  stopped  and  faced 


156  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

her.  "You  would  have  given  enough  of 
your  time  to  the  highwayman,  Miss  Scott, 
as  would  have  enabled  you  to  identify  him 
for  the  police  —  and  no  more.  Like  your 
brother,  you  would  haye  been  willing  to 
sacrifice  yourself  for  the  benefit  of  the  laws 
of  civilization  and  good  order." 

If  a  denial  to  this  assertion  could  have 
been  expressed  without  the  use  of  speech,  it 
was  certainly  transparent  in  the  face  and 
eyes  of  the  young  girl  at  that  moment.  If 
Falkner  had  been  less  self-conscious  he  would 
have  seen  it  plainly.  But  Kate  only  buried 
her  face  in  her  lifted  muff,  slightly  raised 
her  pretty  shoulders,  and,  dropping  her  trem 
ulous  eyelids,  walked  on.  "  It  seems  a  pity," 
she  said,  after  a  pause,  "  that  we  cannot  pre 
serve  our  own  miserable  existence  without 
taking  something  from  others  —  sometimes 
even  a  life ! ''  He  started.  "  And  it 's  horrid 
to  have  to  remind  you  that  you  have  yet  to 
kill  something  for  the  invalid's  supper,"  she 
continued.  "  I  saw  a  hare  in  the  field  yon 
der." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  157 

"  You  mean  that  jackass  rabbit  ? "  lie 
said,  abstractedly. 

.  "  What  you  please.    It 's  a  pity  you  did  n't 
take  your  gun  instead  of  your  rifle." 
"  I  brought  the  rifle  for  protection." 
"And  a  shot  gun  is  only  aggressive,  I 
suppose  ?  " 

Falkner  looked  at  her  for  a  moment,  and 
then,  as  the  hare  suddenly  started  across  the 
open  a  hundred  yards  away,  brought  the 
rifle  to  his  shoulder.  A  long  interval  —  as 
it  seemed  to  Kate  —  elapsed  ;  the  animal  ap 
peared  to  be  already  safely  out  of  range, 
when  the  rifle  suddenly  cracked ;  the  hare 
bounded  in  the  air  like  a  ball,  and  dropped 
motionless.  The  ,  girl  looked  at  the  marks 
man  in  undisguised  admiration.  "  Is  it  quite 
dead  ?  "  she  said  timidly. 

"  It  never  knew  what  struck  it." 
"  It  certainly  looks  less  brutal  than  shoot 
ing  it  with  a  shot  gun,  as  John  does,  and 
then  not  killing  it  outright,"  said  Kate.  "I 
hate  what  is  called  sport  and  sportsmen,  but 
a  rifle  seems  "  — 


158  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

«•  What?"  said  Falkner. 

"  More  —  gentlemanly." 

She  had  raised  her  pretty  head  in  the  air, 
and,  with  her  hand  shading  her  eyes,  was 
looking  around  the  clear  ether,  and  said 
meditatively,  "I  wonder  —  no  matter." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Oh,  nothing." 

"  It  is  something,"  said  Falkner,  with  an 
amused  smile,  reloading  his  rifle. 

"  Well,  you  once  promised  me  an  eagle's 
feather  for  my  hat.  Is  n't  that  thing  an 
eagle?" 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  only  a  hawk." 

"  Well,  that  will  do.     Shoot  that !  " 

Her  eyes  were  sparkling.  Falkner  with 
drew  his  own  with  a  slight  smile,  and  raised 
his  rifle  with  provoking  deliberation. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  it 's  what  you  want  ?  " 
he  asked  demurely. 

"Yes  — quick!" 

Nevertheless,  it  was  some  minutes  before 
the  rifle  cracked  again.  The  wheeling  bird 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  159 

suddenly  struck  the  wind  with  its  wings 
aslant,  and  then  fell  like  a  plummet  at  a 
distance  which  showed  the  difficulty  of  the 
feat.  Falkner  started  from  her  side  before 
the  bird  reached  the  ground.  He  returned 
to  her  after  a  lapse  of  a  few  moments,  bear 
ing  a  trailing  wing  in  his  hand.  "  You  shall 
make  your  choice,"  he  said  gayly. 

"  Are  you  sure  it  was  killed  outright  ?  " 

"  Head  shot  off,"  said  Falkner  briefly. 

"  And  besides,  the  fall  would  have  killed 
it,"  said  Kate  conclusively.  "  It 's  lovely. 
I  suppose  they  call  you  a  very  good  shot  ?  " 

«  They  —  who  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  the  people  you  know —  your  friends, 
and  their  sisters." 

"  George  shoots  better  than  I  do,  and  has 
had  more  experience.  I  've  seen  him  do  that 
with  a  pistol.  Of  course  not  such  a  long 
shot,  but  a  more  difficult  one." 

Kate  did  not  reply,  but  her  face  showed 
a  conviction  that  as  an  artistic  and  gentle 
manly  performance  it  was  probably  inferior 


160  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

to  the  one  she  had  witnessed.  Falkner,  who 
had  picked  up  the  hare  also,  again  took  his 
place  by  her  side,  as  they  turned  towards  the 
house. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  day  you  came, 
when  we  were  walking  here,  you  pointed  out 
that  rock  on  the  mountain  where  the  poor 
animals  had  taken  refuge  from  the  snow  ?  " 
said  Kate  suddenly. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Falkner  ;  "  they  seem  to 
have  diminished.  I  am  afraid  you  were 
right ;  they  have  either  eaten  each  other  or 
escaped.  Let  us  hope  the  latter." 

"  I  looked  at  them  with  a  glass  every  day," 
said  Kate,  "  and  they  've  got  down  to  only 
four.  There 's  a  bear  and  that  shabby,  over 
grown  cat  you  call  a  California  lion,  and  a 
wolf,  and  a  creature  like  a  fox  or  a  squirrel." 

"  It 's  a  pity  they  're  not  all  of  a  kind," 
said  Falkner. 

"  Why  ?  " 

"  There  'd  be  nothing  to  keep  them  from 
being  comfortable  together." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  161 

"  On  the  contrary,  /should  think  it  would 
be  simply  awful  to  be  shut  up  entirely  with 
one's  own  kind." 

"  Then  you  believe  it  is  possible  for  them, 
with  their  different  natures  and  habits,  to  be 
happy  together  ? "  said  Falkner,  with  sud 
den  earnestness. 

"  I  believe,"  said  Kate  hurriedly,  "  that 
the  bear  and  the  lion  find  the  fox  and  the 
wolf  very  amusing,  and  that  the  fox  and  the 
wolf"  — 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Falkner,  stopping  short. 

"Well,  the  fox  and  the  wolf  will  carry 
away  a  much  better  opinion  of  the  lion  and 
bear  than  they  had  before." 

They  had  reached  the  house  by  this  time, 
and  for  some  occult  reason  Kate  did  not  im 
mediately  enter  the  parlor,  where  she  had 
left  her  sister  and  the  invalid,  who  had  al 
ready  been  promoted  to  a  sofa  and  a  cushion 
by  the  window,  but  proceeded  directly  to 
her  own  room.  As  a  manoeuvre  to  avoid 
meeting  Mrs.  Hale,  it  was  scarcely  neces- 


162  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

sary,  for  that  lady  was  already  in  advance  of 
her  on  the  staircase,  as  if  she  had  left  the 
parlor  a  moment  before  they  entered  the 
house.  Falkner,  too,  would  have  preferred 
the  company  of  his  own  thoughts,  but  Lee, 
apparently  the  only  unpreoccupied,  all-per 
vading,  and  boyishly  alert  spirit  in  the  party, 
hailed  him  from  within,  and  obliged  him  to 
present  himself  on  the  threshold  of  the  par 
lor  with  the  hare  and  hawk's  wing  he  was 
still  carrying.  Eying  the  latter  with  affected 
concern,  Lee  said  gravely :  "  Of  course,  I 
can  eat  it,  Ned,  and  I  dare  say  it 's  the  best 
part  of  the  fowl,  and  the  hare  is  n't  more 
than  enough  for  the  women,  but  I  had  no 
idea  we  were  so  reduced.  Three  hours  and 
a  half  gunning,  and  only  one  hare  and  a 
hawk's  wing.  It 's  terrible." 

Perceiving  that  his  friend  was  alone, 
Falkner  dropped  his  burden  in  the  hall  and 
strode  rapidly  to  his  side.  "  Look  here, 
George,  we  must,  /must,  leave  this  place  at 
once.  It 's  no  use  talking ;  I  can  stand  this 
sort  of  thing  no  longer." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLETS.  163 

"Nor  can  I,  with  the  door  open.  Shut 
it,  and  say  what  you  want  quick,  before 
Mrs.  Hale  comes  back.  Have  you  found  a 
trail?" 

"  No,  no ;  that 's  not  what  I  mean." 

"  Well,  it  strikes  me  it  ought  to  be,  if  you 
expect  to  get  away.  Have  you  proposed  to 
Beacon  Street,  and  she  thinks  it  rather  pre 
mature  on  a  week's  acquaintance  ?  " 

"No;  but"  — 

"But  you  will,  you  mean?     Don't,  just 

yet." 

"  But  I  cannot  live  this  perpetual  lie." 
"  That  depends.  I  don't  know  how  you  're 
lying  when  I  'm  not  with  you.  If  you  're 
walking  round  with  that  girl,  singing  hymns 
and  talking  of  your  class  in  Sunday-school, 
or  if  you  're  insinuating  that  you  're  a  mil 
lionaire,  and  think  of  buying  the  place  for 
a  summer  hotel,  I  should  say  you  'd  better 
quit  that  kind  of  lying.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  don't  see  the  necessity  of  your  danc 
ing  round  here  with  a  shot  gun,  and  yelling 


164  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

for  Harkins's  blood,  or  counting  that  pack 
age  of  greenbacks  in  the  lap  of  Miss  Scott, 
to  be  truthful.  It  seems  to  me  there  ought 
to  be  something  between  the  two." 

"But,  George,  don't  you  think  —  you  are 
on  such  good  terms  with  Mrs.  Hale  and  her 
mother  —  that  you  might  tell  them  the  whole 
story?  That  is,  tell  it  in  your  own  way; 
they  will  hear  anything  from  you,  and  be 
lieve  it." 

"  Thank  you ;  but  suppose  I  don't  believe 
in  lying,  either  ?  " 

"  You  know  what  I  mean !  You  have  a 
way,  d — n  it,  of  making  everything  seem 
like  a  matter  of  course,  and  the  most  natural 
thing  going." 

"  Well,  suppose  I  did.  Are  you  prepared 
for  the  worst  ?  " 

Falkner  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then 
replied,  "Yes,  anything  would  be  better 
than  this  suspense." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you.  Then  you  would 
be  willing  to  have  them  forgive  us  ?  " 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  165 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  I  mean  that  their  forgiveness  would  be 
the  worst  thing  that  could  happen.  Look 
here,  Ned.  Stop  a  moment ;  listen  at  that 
door.  Mrs.  Hale  has  the  tread  of  an  angel, 
with  the  pervading  capacity  of  a  cat.  Now 
listen !  I  don't  pretend  to  be  in  love  with 
anybody  here,  but  if  I  were  I  should  hardly 
take  advantage  of  a  woman's  helplessness 
and  solitude  with  a  sensational  story  about 
myself.  It 's  not  giving  her  a  fair  show. 
You  know  she  won't  turn  you  out  of  the 
house." 

"  No,"  said  Falkner,  reddening ;  "  but  I 
should  expect  to  go  at  once,  and  that  would 
be  my  only  excuse  for  telling  her." 

"  Go !  where  ?  In  your  preoccupation  with 
that  girl  you  have  n't  even  found  the  trail 
by  which  Manuel  escaped.  Do  you  intend 
to  camp  outside  the  house,  and  make  eyes  at 
her  when  she  comes  to  the  window  ?  " 

"Because  you  think  nothing  of  flirting 
with  Mrs.  Hale,"  said  Falkner  bitterly,  "you 
care  little  "  — 


166  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  My  dear  Ned,"  said  Lee,  "  the  fact  that 
Mrs.  Hale  has  a  husband,  and  knows  that 
she  can't  marry  me,  puts  us  on  equal  terms. 
Nothing  that  she  could  learn  about  me  here 
after  would  make  a  flirtation  with  me  any 
less  wrong  than  it  would  be  now,  or  make 
her  seem  more  a  victim.  Can  you  say  the 
same  of  yourself  and  that  Puritan  girl?" 

"  But  you  did  not  advise  me  to  keep  aloof 
from  her ;  on  the  contrary,  you  "  — 

"I  thought  you  might  make  the  best 
of  the  situation,  and  pay  her  some  atten 
tion,  because  you  could  not  go  any  fur 
ther." 

"You  thought  I  was  utterly  heartless  and 
selfish,  like"  — 

"Ned!" 

Falkner  walked  rapidly  to  the  fireplace, 
and  returned. 

"  Forgive  me,  George  —  I  'in  a  fool  — 
and  an  ungrateful  one." 

Lee  did  not  reply  at  once,  although  he 
took  and  retained  the  hand  Falkner  had  im- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  167 

pulsively  extended.  "  Promise  me,"  he  said 
slowly,  after  a  pause,  "  that  you  will  say 
nothing  yet  to  either  of  these  women.  I 
ask  it  for  your  own  sake,  and  this  girl's, 
not  for  mine.  If,  on  the  contrary,  you  are 
tempted  to  do  so  from  any  Quixotic  idea  of 
honor,  remember  that  you  will  only  precipi 
tate  something  that  will  oblige  you,  from 
that  same  sense  of  honor,  to  separate  from 
the  girl  forever." 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  Enough  !  "  said  he,  with  a  quick  return 
of  his  old  reckless  gayety.  "  Shoot-Off-His- 
Mouth  —  the  Beardless  Boy  Chief  of  the 
Sierras  —  has  spoken !  Let  the  Pale  Face 
with  the  black  moustache  ponder  and  beware 
how  he  talks  hereafter  to  the  Rippling  Co- 
chituate  Water !  Go !  " 

Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  the  door  had 
closed  upon  Falkner,  Lee's  smile  vanished. 
With  his  colorless  face  turned  to  the  fad 
ing  light  at  the  window,  the  hollows  in  his 
temples  and  the  lines  in  the  corners  of  his 


168  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

eyes  seemed  to  have  grown  more  profound. 
He  remained  motionless  and  absorbed  in 
thought  so  deep  that  the  light  rustle  of  a 
skirt,  that  would  at  other  times  have  thrilled 
his  sensitive  ear,  passed  unheeded.  At  last, 
throwing  off  his  reverie  with  the  full  and 
unrestrained  sigh  of  a  man  who  believes 
himself  alone,  he  was  startled  by  the  soft 
laugh  of  Mrs.  Hale,  who  had  entered  the 
room  unperceived. 

"  Dear  me !  How  portentous !  Really,  I 
almost  feel  as  if  I  were  interrupting  a  t£te-d- 
tete  between  yourself  and  some  old  flame.  I 
have  n't  heard  anything  so  old-fashioned  and 
conservative  as  that  sigh  since  I  have  been 
in  California.  I  thought  you  never  had  any 
Past  out  here  ?  " 

Fortunately  his  face  was  between  her  and 
the  light,  and  the  unmistakable  expression 
of  annoyance  and  impatience  which  passed 
over  it  was  spared  her.  There  was,  however, 
still  enough  dissonance  in  his  manner  to  af 
fect  her  quick  feminine  sense,  and  when  she 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  169 

drew  nearer  to  him  it  was  with  a  certain 
maiden-like  timidity. 

"You  are  not  worse,  Mr.  Lee,  I  hope? 
You  have  not  over-exerted  yourself  ?  " 

"  There  's  little  chance  of  that  with  one 
leg  —  if  not  in  the  grave  at  least  mum 
mified  with  bandages,"  he  replied,  with  a 
bitterness  new  to  him. 

"  Shall  I  loosen  them  ?  Perhaps  they  are 
too  tight.  There  is  nothing  so  irritating  to 
one  as  the  sensation  of  being  tightly  bound." 

The  light  touch  of  her  hand  upon  the  rug 
that  covered  his  knees,  the  thoughtful  ten 
derness  of  the  blue-veined  lids,  and  the  deli 
cate  atmosphere  that  seemed  to  surround  her 
like  a  perfume  cleared  his  face  of  its  shadow 
and  brought  back  the  reckless  fire  into  his 
blue  eyes. 

"  I  suppose  I  'm  intolerant  of  all  bonds," 
he  said,  looking  at  her  intently,  "  in  others 
as  well  as  myself !  " 

Whether  or  not  she  detected  any  double 
meaning  in  his  words,  she  was  obliged  to  ac- 


170  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

cept  the  challenge  of  his  direct  gaze,  and, 
raising  her  eyes  to  his,  drew  back  a  little 
from  him  with  a  slight  increase  of  color. 
"  I  was  afraid  you  had  heard  bad  news  just 
now." 

"  What  would  you  call  bad  news  ?  "  asked 
Lee,  clasping  his  hands  behind  his  head,  and 
leaning  back  on  the  sofa,  but  without  with 
drawing  his  eyes  from  her  face. 

"  Oh,  any  news  that  would  interrupt  your 
convalescence,  or  break  up  our  little  family 
party,"  said  Mrs.  Hale.  "  You  have  been 
getting  on  so  well  that  really  it  would  seem 
cruel  to  have  anything  interfere  with  our 
life  of  forgetting  and  being  forgotten.  But," 
she  added  with  apprehensive  quickness,  "has 
anything  happened?  Is  there  really  any 
news  from  —  from  the  trails  ?  Yesterday 
Mr.  Falkner  said  the  snow  had  recommenced 
in  the  pass.  Has  he  seen  anything,  noticed 
anything  different  ?  " 

She  looked  so  very  pretty,  with  the  rare, 
genuine,  and  youthful  excitement  that  trans- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  171 

figured  her  wearied  and  wearying  regularity 
of  feature,  that  Lee  contented  himself  with 
drinking  in  her  prettiness  as  he  would  have 
inhaled  the  perfume  of  some  flower. 

"  Why  do  you  look  at  me  so,  Mr.  Lee  ?  " 
she  asked,  with  a  slight  smile.  "  I  believe 
something  has  happened.  Mr.  Falkner  has 
brought  you  some  intelligence." 

"  He  has  certainly  found  out  something  I 
did  not  foresee." 

"  And  that  troubles  you  ?  " 

"  It  does." 

"  Is  it  a  secret  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you  will  tell  it  to  me  at 
dinner,"  she  said,  with  a  little  tone  of  relief. 

"  I  am  afraid,  if  I  tell  it  at  all,  I  must 
tell  it  now,"  he  said,  glancing  at  the  door. 

"  You  must  do  as  you  think  best,"  she 
said  coldly,  "as  it  seems  to  be  a  secret,  after 
all."  She  hesitated.  "Kate  is  dressing, 
and  will  not  be  down  for  some  time." 

"  So   much   the  better.     For  I  'm  afraid 


172  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

that  Ned  has  made  a  poor  return  to  your 
hospitality  by  falling  in  love  with  her." 

"  Impossible !  He  has  known  her  for 
scarcely  a  \reek." 

"  I  am  afraid  we  won't  agree  as  to  the 
length  of  time  necessary  to  appreciate  and 
love  a  woman.  I  think  it  can  be  done  in 
seven  days  and  four  hours,  the  exact  time 
we  have  been  here." 

"  Yes ;  but  as  Kate  was  not  in  when  you 
arrived,  and  did  not  come  until  later,  you 
must  take  off  at  least  one  hour,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale  gayly. 

"  Ned  can.      /  shall  not  abate  a  second." 

"  But  are  you  not  mistaken  in  his  feel 
ings  ?  "  she  continued  hurriedly.  "  He  cer 
tainly  has  not  said  anything  to  her.'; 

"  That  is  his  last  hold  on  honor  and  rea 
son.  And  to  preserve  that  little  intact  he 
wants  to  run  away  at  once." 

"  But  that  would  be  very  silly." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  he  said,  looking  at 
her  fixedly. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  173 

"  Why  not  ?  "  she  asked  in  her  turn,  but 
rather  faintly. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  why,"  he  said,  lowering  his 
voice  with  a  certain  intensity  of  passion 
unlike  his  usual  boyish  light  -  heartedness. 
"  Think  of  a  man  whose  life  has  been  one 
of  alternate  hardness  and  aggression,  of  sav 
age  disappointment  and  equally  savage  suc 
cesses,  who  has  known  no  other  relaxation 
than  dissipation  or  extravagance ;  a  man  to 
whom  the  idea  of  the  domestic  hearth  and 
family  ties  only  meant  weakness,  effeminacy, 
or  —  worse ;  who  had  looked  for  loyalty  and 
devotion  only  in  the  man  who  battled  for 
him  at  his  right  hand  in  danger,  or  shared 
his  privations  and  sufferings.  Think  of 
such  a  man,  and  imagine  that  an  accident 
has  suddenly  placed  him  in  an  atmosphere 
of  purity,  gentleness,  and  peace,  surrounded 
hini  by  the  refinements  of  a  higher  life  than 
he  had  ever  known,  and  that  he  found  him 
self  as  in  a  dream,  on  terms  of  equality  with 
a  pure  woman  who  had  never  known  any 


174  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

other  life,  and  yet  would  understand  and 
pity  his.  Imagine  his  loving  her !  Imagine 
that  the  first  effect  of  that  love  was  to  show 
him  his  own  inferiority  and  the  immeasura 
ble  gulf  that  lay  between  his  life  and  hers ! 
Would  he  not  fly  rather  than  brave  the 
disgrace  of  her  awakening  to  the  truth? 
Would  he  not  fly  rather  than  accept  even  the 
pity  that  might  tempt  her  to  a  sacrifice  ?  " 

"  But  —  is  Mr.  Falkner  aU  that  ?  " 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,  I  assure  you !  " 
said  he  demurely.  "  But  that 's  the  way  a 
man  in  love  feels." 

"  Really  !  Mr.  Falkner  should  get  you 
to  plead  his  cause  with  Kate,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale  with  a  faint  laugh. 

"  I  need  all  my  persuasive  powers  in  that 
way  for  myself,"  said  Lee  boldly. 

Mrs.  Hale  rose.  "  I  think  I  hear  Kate 
coming,"  she  said.  Nevertheless,  she  did 
not  move  away.  "  It  is  Kate  coming,"  she 
added  hurriedly,  stopping  to  pick  up  her 
work-basket,  which  had  slipped  with  Lee'o 
hand  from  her  own. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  175 

It  was  Kate,  who  at  once  flew  to  her  sis 
ter's  assistance,  Lee  deploring  from  the  sofa 
his  own  utter  inability  to  aid  her.  "  It  's 
all  my  fault,  too,"  he  said  to  Kate,  but  look 
ing  at  Mrs.  Hale.  "  It  seems  I  have  a  fac 
ulty  of  upsetting  existing  arrangements  with 
out  the  power  of  improving  them,  or  even 
putting  them  back  in  their  places.  What 
shall  I  do  ?  I  am  willing  to  hold  any  num 
ber  of  skeins  or  rewind  any  quantity  of 
spools.  I  am  even  willing  to  forgive  Ned 
for  spending  the  whole  day  with  you,  and 
only  bringing  me  the  wing  of  a  hawk  for 
supper." 

"  That  was  all  my  folly,  Mr.  Lee,"  said 
Kate,  with  swift  mendacity  ;  "  he  was  all  the 
time  looking  after  something  for  you,  when 
I  begged  him  to  shoot  a  bird  to  get  a  feather 
for  my  hat.  And  that  wing  is  so  pretty." 

"  It  is  a  pity  that  mere  beauty  is  not  edi 
ble,"  said  Lee,  gravely,  "  and  that  if  the 
worst  comes  to  the  worst  here  you  would 
probably  prefer  me  to  Ned  and  his  mous- 


176  SNOW-SOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

tachios,  merely  because  T  Ve  been  tied  by 
the  leg  to  this  sofa  and  slowly  fattened  like 
a  Strasbourg  goose." 

Nevertheless,  his  badinage  failed  somehow 
to  amuse  Kate,  and  she  presently  excused 
herself  to  rejoin  her  sister,  who  had  already 
slipped  from  the  room.  For  the  first  time 
during  their  enforced  seclusion  a  sense  of 
restraint  and  uneasiness  affected  Mrs.  Hale, 
her  sister,  and  Falkner  at  dinner.  The  lat 
ter  addressed  himself  to  Mrs.  Scott,  almost 
entirely.  Mrs.  Hale  was  fain  to  bestow  an 
exceptional  and  marked  tenderness  on  her 
little  daughter  Minnie,  who,  however,  by 
some  occult  childish  instinct,  insisted  upon 
sharing  it  with  Lee  —  her  great  friend  —  to 
Mrs.  Hale's  uneasy  consciousness.  Nor  was 
Lee  slow  to  profit  by  the  child's  suggestion, 
but  responded  with  certain  vicarious  caresses 
that  increased  the  mother's  embarrassment. 
That  evening  they  retired  early,  but  in  the 
intervals  of  a  restless  night  Kate  was  aware, 
from  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  opposite 
room,  that  the  friends  were  equally  wakeful. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  177 

A  morning  of  bright  sunshine  and  soft 
warm  air  did  not,  however,  bring  any  change 
to  their  new  and  constrained  relations.  It 
only  seemed  to  offer  a  reason  for  Falkner 
to  leave  the  house  very  early  for  his  daily 
rounds,  and  gave  Lee  that  occasion  for  un 
aided  exercise  with  an  extempore  crutch  on 
the  veranda  which  allowed  Mrs.  Hale  to 
pursue  her  manifold  duties  without  the  ne 
cessity  of  keeping  him  company.  Kate  also, 
as  if  to  avoid  an  accidental  meeting  with 
Falkner,  had  remained  at  home  with  her  sis 
ter.  With  one  exception,  they  did  not  make 
their  guests  the  subject  of  their  usual  play 
ful  comments,  nor,  after  the  fashion  of  their 
sex,  quote  their  ideas  and  opinions.  That 
exception  was  made  by  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  You  have  had  no  difference  with  Mr. 
Falkner  ?  "  she  said  carelessly. 

"  No,"  said  Kate  quickly.     "  Why  ?  " 

"  I  only  thought  he  seemed  rather  put  out 
at  dinner  last  night,  and  you  did  n't  propose 
to  go  and  meet  him  to-day." 


178  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

"  He  must  be  bored  with  my  company  at 
times,  I  dare  say,"  said  Kate,  with  an  indif 
ference  quite  inconsistent  with  her  rising 
color.  "  I  should  n't  wonder  if  he  was  a  lit 
tle  vexed  with  Mr.  Lee's  chaffing  him  about 
his  sport  yesterday,  and  probably  intends  to 
go  further  to-day,  and  bring  home  larger 
game.  I  think  Mr.  Lee  very  amusing  al 
ways,  but  I  sometimes  fancy  he  lacks  feel- 
ing." 

"  Feeling !  You  don't  know  him,  Kate," 
said  Mrs.  Hale  quickly.  She  stopped  her 
self,  but  with  a  half -smiling  recollection  in 
her  dropped  eyelids. 

"  Well,  he  does  n't  look  very  amiable  now, 
stamping  up  and  down  the  veranda.  Per 
haps  you  'd  better  go  and  soothe  him." 

"  I  'm  really  so  busy  just  now,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale,  with  sudden  and  inconsequent  energy ; 
"  things  have  got  dreadfully  behind  in  the 
last  week.  You  had  better  go,  Kate,  and 
make  him  sit  down,  or  he  '11  be  overdoing  it. 
These  men  never  know  any  medium  —  in 
anvthing." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  179 

Contrary  to  Kate's  expectation,  Falkner 
returned  earlier  than  usual,  and,  taking  the 
invalid's  arm,  supported  him  in  a  more  am 
bitious  walk  along  the  terrace  before  the 
house.  They  were  apparently  absorbed  in 
conversation,  but  the  two  women  who  ob 
served  them  from  the  window  could  not  help 
noticing  the  almost  feminine  tenderness  of 
Falkner's  manner  towards  his  wounded 
friend,  and  the  thoughtful  tenderness  of  his 
ministering  care. 

"I  wonder,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  following 
them  with  softly  appreciative  eyes,  "  if  wo 
men  are  capable  of  as  disinterested  friend 
ship  as  men  ?  I  never  saw  anything  like  the 
devotion  of  these  two  creatures.  Look !  if 
Mr.  Falkner  has  n't  got  his  arm  round  Mr. 
Lee's  waist,  and  Lee,  with  his  own  arm  over 
Falkner's  neck,  is  looking  up  in  his  eyes.  I 
declare,  Kate,  it  almost  seems  an  indiscre 
tion  to  look  at  them." 

Kate,  however,  to  Mrs.  Hale's  indigna 
tion,  threw  her  pretty  head  back  and  sniffed 


180  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

the  air  contemptuously.  "  I  really  don't  see 
anything  but  some  absurd  sentimentalism 
of  their  own,  or  some  mannish  wickedness 
they  're  concocting  by  themselves.  I  am  by 
no  means  certain,  Josephine,  that  Lee's  in 
fluence  over  that  young  man  is  the  best  thing 
for  him." 

"  On  the  contrary !  Lee's  influence  seems 
the  only  thing  that  checks  his  waywardness," 
said  Mrs.  Hale  quickly.  "  I  'm  sure,  if  any 
one  makes  sacrifices,  it  is  Lee  ;  I  should  n't 
wonder  that  even  now  he  is  making  some 
concession  to  Falkner,  and  all  those  caress 
ing  ways  of  your  friend  are  for  a  purpose. 
They  're  not  much  different  from  us,  dear." 

"  Well,  1  would  n't  stand  there  and  let 
them  see  me  looking  at  them  as  if  I  could  n't 
bear  them  out  of  my  sight  for  a  moment," 
said  Kate,  whisking  herself  out  of  the  room. 
"  They  're  conceited  enough,  Heaven  knows, 
already." 

That  evening,  at  dinner,  however,  the  two 
men  exhibited  no  trace  of  the  restraint  or 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  181 

uneasiness  of  the  previous  day.  If  they  were 
less  impulsive  and  exuberant,  they  were  still 
frank  and  interested,  and  if  the  term  could 
be  used  in  connection  with  men  apparently 
trained  to  neither  self-control  nor  repose, 
there  was  a  certain  gentle  dignity  in  their 
manner  which  for  the  time  had  the  effect  of 
lifting  them  a  little  above  the  social  level  of 
their  entertainers.  For  even  with  all  their 
predisposition  to  the  strangers,  Kate  and 
Mrs.  Hale  had  always  retained  a  conscious 
attitude  of  gentle  condescension  and  superi 
ority  towards  them  —  an  attitude  not  incon 
sistent  with  a  stronger  feeling,  nor  altogether 
unprovocative  of  it ;  yet  this  evening  they 
found  themselves  impressed  with  something 
more  than  an  equality  in  the  men  who  had 
amused  and  interested  them,  and  they  were 
perhaps  a  little  more  critical  and  doubtful  of 
their  own  power.  Mrs.  Hale's  little  girl,  who 
had  appreciated  only  the  seriousness  of  the 
situation,  had  made  her  own  application  of 
it.  "  Are  you  dow'in'  away  from  aunt  Kate 


182  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE' 8. 

and  mamina  ?  "  she  asked,  in  an  interval  of 
silence. 

"  How  else  can  I  get  you  the  red  snow  we 
saw  at  sunset,  the  other  day,  on  the  peak 
yonder?"  said  Lee  gayly.  "  I  '11  have  to  get 
up  some  morning  very  early,  and  catch  it 
when  it  comes  at  sunrise." 

"  What  is  this  wonderful  snow,  Minnie, 
that  you  are  tormenting  Mr.  Lee  for?" 
asked  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  Oh !  it 's  a  fairy  snow  that  he  told  me 
all  about ;  it  only  comes  when  the  sun  conies 
up  and  goes  down,  and  if  you  catch  ever  so 
little  of  it  in  your  hand  it  makes  all  you  fink 
you  want  come  true!  Wouldn't  that  be 
nice  ?  "  But  to  the  child's  astonishment  her 
little  circle  of  auditors,  even  while  assent 
ing,  sighed. 

The  red  snow  was  there  plain  enough  the 
next  morning  before  the  valley  was  warm 
with  light,  and  while  Minnie,  her  mother, 
and  aunt  Kate  were  still  peacefully  sleeping. 
And  Mr.  Lee  had  kept  his  word,  and  was 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  183 

evidently  seeking  it,  for  he  and  Falkner 
were  already  urging  their  horses  through 
the  pass,  with  their  faces  towards  and  lit  up 
by  its  glow. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

KATE  was  stirring  early,  but  not  as  early 
as  her  sister,  who  met  her  on  the  threshold 
of  her  room.  Her  face  was  quite  pale,  and 
she  held  a  letter  in  her  hand.  "  What  does 
this  mean,  Kate  ?  " 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Kate,  her 
own  color  fading  from  her  cheek. 

"  They  are  gone  —  with  their  horses.  Left 
before  day,  and  left  this." 

She  handed  Kate  an  open  letter.  The 
girl  took  it  hurriedly,  and  read  — 

"  When  you  get  this  we  shall  be  no  more ; 
perhaps  not  even  as  much.  Ned  found  the 
trail  yesterday,  and  we  are  taking  the  first 
advantage  of  it  before  day.  We  dared  not 
trust  ourselves  to  say  '  Good-by  ! '  last  even 
ing  ;  we  were  too  cowardly  to  face  you  this 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  185 

morning ;  we  must  go  as  we  came,  without 
warning,  but  not  without  regret.  We  leave 
a  package  and  a  letter  for  your  husband.  It 
is  not  only  our  poor  return  for  your  gentle 
ness  and  hospitality,  but,  since  it  was  acci 
dentally  the  means  of  giving  us  the  pleasure 
of  your  society,  we  beg  you  to  keep  it  in 
safety  until  his  return.  We  kiss  your  moth 
er's  hands.  Ned  wants  to  say  something 
more,  but  time  presses,  and  I  only  allow 
him  to  send  his  love  to  Minnie,  and  to  tell 
her  that  he  is  trying  to  find  the  red  snow. 
"  GEORGE  LEE." 

"  But  he  is  not  fit  to  travel,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale.  "  And  the  trail  —  it  may  not  be  pass 
able." 

"It  was  passable  the  day  before  yester 
day,"  said  Kate  drearily,  "  for  I  discovered 
it,  and  went  as  far  as  the  buck-eyes." 

"  Then  it  was  you  who  told  them  about 
it,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  reproachfully. 

"  No,"  said  Kate  indignantly.  "  Of  course 


186  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

I  didn't."  She  stopped,  and,  reading  the 
significance  of  her  speech  in  the  glistening 
eyes  of  her  sister,  she  blushed.  Josephine 
kissed  her,  and  said  — 

"  It  was  treating  us  like  children,  Kate, 
but  we  must  make  them  pay  for  it  hereafter. 
For  that  package  and  letter  to  John  means 
something,  and  we  shall  probably  see  them 
before  long.  I  wonder  what  the  letter  is 
about,  and  what  is  in  the  package  ?  " 

"Probably  one  of  Mr.  Lee's  jokes.  He 
is  quite  capable  of  turning  the  whole  thing 
into  ridicule.  I  dare  say  he  considers  his 
visit  here  a  prolonged  jest." 

"With  his  poor  leg,  Kate?  You  are  as 
unfair  to  him  as  you  were  to  Falkner  when 
they  first  came." 

Kate,  however,  kept  her  dark  eyebrows 
knitted  in  a  piquant  frown. 

"  To  think  of  his  intimating  what  he  would 
allow  Falkner  to  say !  And  yet  you  believe 
he  has  no  evil  influence  over  the  young 
man." 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  187 

Mrs.  Hale  laughed.  "  Where  are  you  go 
ing  so  fast,  Kate?"  she  called  mischiev 
ously,  as  the  young  lady  flounced  out  of  the 
room. 

"Where?  Why,  to  tidy  John's  room. 
He  may  be  coming  at  any  moment  now.  Or 
do  you  want  to  do  it  yourself?  " 

"  No,  no,"  returned  Mrs.  Hale  hurriedly ; 
"  you  do  it.  I  '11  look  in  a  little  later  on." 

She  turned  away  with  a  sigh.  The  sun 
was  shining  brilliantly  outside.  Through 
the  half-open  blinds  its  long  shafts  seemed 
to  be  searching  the  house  for  the  lost  guests, 
and  making  the  hollow  shell  appear  doubly 
empty.  What  a  contrast  to  the  dear  dark 
days  of  mysterious  seclusion  and  delicious 
security,  lit  by  Lee's  laughter  and  the  spar 
kling  hearth,  which  had  passed  so  quickly ! 
The  forgotten  outer  world  seemed  to  have 
returned  to  the  house  through  those  open 
windows  and  awakened  its  dwellers  from  a 
dream. 

The  morning  seemed  interminable,  and  it 


188  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

was  past  noon,  while  they  were  deep  in  a 
sympathetic  conference  with  Mrs.  Scott,  who 
had  drawn  a  pathetic  word-picture  of  the 
two  friends  perishing  in  the  snow-drift,  with 
out  flannels,  brandy,  smelling-salts,  or  jelly, 
which  they  had  forgotten,  when  they  were 
startled  by  the  loud  barking  of  "  Spot "  on 
the  lawn  before  the  house.  The  women 
looked  hurriedly  at  each  other. 

"  They  have  returned,"  said  Mrs.  Hale. 

Kate  ran  to  the  window.  A  horseman 
was  approaching  the  house.  A  single  glance 
showed  her  that  it  was  neither  Falkner,  Lee, 
nor  Hale,  but  a  stranger. 

"  Perhaps  he  brings  some  news  of  them," 
said  Mrs.  Scott  quickly.  So  complete  had 
been  their  preoccupation  with  the  loss  of 
their  guests  that  they  could  not  yet  conceive 
of  anything  that  did  not  pertain  to  it. 

The  stranger,  who  was  at  .once  ushered 
into  the  parlor,  was  evidently  disconcerted 
by  the  presence  of  the  three  women. 

"  I  reckoned  to  see  John  Hale  yer,"  he 
began,  awkwardly. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  189 

A  slight  look  of  disappointment  passed 
over  their  faces.  "  He  has  not  yet  returned," 
said  Mrs.  Hale  briefly. 

"  Sho !  I  wanter  know.  He  's  hed  time  to 
do  it,  I  reckon,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  I  suppose  he  has  n't  been  able  to  get 
over  from  the  Summit,"  returned  Mrs.  Hale. 
"  The  trail  is  closed." 

"It  ain't  now,  for  I  kem  over  it  this 
mornin'  myself." 

"  You  did  n't  —  meet  —  any  one  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Hale  timidly,  with  a  glance  at  the 
others. 

"  No." 

A  long  silence  ensued.  The  unfortunate 
visitor  plainly  perceived  an  evident  abate 
ment  of  interest  in  himself,  yet  he  still 
struggled  politely  to  say  something.  "  Then 
I  reckon  you  know  what  kept  Hale  away  ?  " 
he  said  dubiously. 

"  Oh,  certainly  —  the  stage  robbery." 

"  I  wish  I  'd  known  that,"  said  the  stran 
ger  reflectively,  "  for  I  ez  good  ez  rode  over 


190  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

jist  to  tell  it  to  ye.  Ye  see  John  Hale,  he 
sent  a  note  to  ye  'splainin'  matters  by  a  gen 
tleman  ;  but  the  road  agents  tackled  that 
man,  and  left  him  for  dead  in  the  road." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hale  impatiently. 

"  Luckily  he  did  n't  die,  but  kem  to,  and 
managed  to  crawl  inter  the  brush,  whar  I 
found  him  when  I  was  lookin'  for  stock,  and 
brought  him  to  my  house  "  — 

"You  found  him?  Your  house?"  inter 
rupted  Mrs.  Hale. 

"Inter  my  house,"  continued  the  man 
doggedly.  "  I  'm  Thompson  of  Thompson's 
Pass  over  yon ;  mebbe  it  ain't  much  of  a 
house ;  but  I  brought  him  thar.  Well,  ez 
he  could  n't  find  the  note  that  Hale  had  guv 
him,  and  like  ez  not  the  road  agents  had 
gone  through  him  and  got  it,  ez  soon  ez  the 
weather  let  up  I  made  a  break  over  yer  to 
tell  ye." 

"  You  say  Mr.  Lee  came  to  your  house," 
repeated  Mrs.  Hale,  "  and  is  there  now  ?  " 

"Not  much,"  said  the  man  grimly;  "and 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  191 

I  never  said  Lee  was  thar.  I  mean  that 
Bilson  waz  shot  by  Lee  and  kem  "  — 

"  Certainly,  Josephine  !  "  said  Kate,  sud 
denly  stepping  between  her  sister  and  Thomp 
son,  and  turning  upon  her  a  white  face  and 
eyes  of  silencing  significance ;  "  certainly  — 
don't  you  remember  ?  —  that 's  the  story  we 
got  from  the  \  Chinaman,  you  know,  only 
muddled.  Go  on,  sir,"  she  continued,  turn 
ing  to  Thompson  calmly  ;  "  you  say  that  the 
man  who  brought  the  note  from  my  brother 
was  shot  by  Lee  ?  " 

"And  another  fellow  they  call  Falkner. 
Yes,  that 's  about  the  size  of  it." 

"  Thank  you ;  it 's  nearly  the  same  story 
that  we  heard.  But  you  have  had  a  long 
ride,  Mr.  Thompson ;  let  me  offer  you  a  glass 
of  whiskey  in  the  dining-room.  This  way, 
please." 

The  door  closed  upon  them  none  too  soon. 
For  Mrs.  Hale  already  felt  the  room  whirl 
ing  around  her,  and  sank  back  into  her  chair 
with  a  hysterical  laugh.  Old  Mrs.  Scott 


192  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

did  not  move  from  her  seat,  but,  with  her 
eyes  fixed  on  the  door,  impatiently  waited 
Kate's  return.  Neither  spoke,  but  each  felt 
that  the  young,  untried  girl  was  equal  to  the 
emergency,  and  would  get  at  the  truth. 

The  sound  of  Thompson's  feet  in  the  hall 
and  the  closing  of  the  front  door  was  fol 
lowed  by  Kate's  reappearance.  Her  face 
was  still  pale,  but  calm. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  the  two  women  in  a  breath. 

"Well,"  returned  Kate  slowly;  l'Mr. 
Lee  and  Mr.  Falkner  were  undoubtedly  the 
two  men  who  took  the  paper  from  John's 
messenger  and  brought  it  here." 

"  You  are  sure  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Scott. 

"  There  can  be  no  mistake,  mother." 

"  Then"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  with  triumphant 
feminine  logic,  "  I  don't  want  anything  more 
to  satisfy  me  that  they  are  perfectly  inno 
cent!" 

More  convincing  than  the  most  perfect 
masculine  deduction,  this  single  expression 
of  their  common  nature  sent  a  thrill  of 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  193 

sympathy  and  understanding  through  each. 
They  cried  for  a  few  moments  on  each 
other's  shoulders.  "To  think,"  said  Mrs. 
Scott,  "  what  that  poor  boy  must  have  suf 
fered  to  have  been  obliged  to  do  —  that  to 
—  to  —  Bilson  —  is  n't  that  the  creature's 
name  ?  I  suppose  we  ought  to  send  over 
there  and  inquire  after  him,  with  some 
chicken  and  jelly,  Kate.  It 's  only  common 
humanity,  and  we  must  be  just,  my  dear ; 
for  even  if  he  shot  Mr.  Lee  and  provoked 
the  poor  boy  to  shoot  him,  he  may  have 
thought  it  his  duty.  And  then,  it  will  avert 
suspicions." 

"  To  think,"  murmured  Mrs.  Hale,  "  what 
they  must  have  gone  through  while  they 
were  here  —  momentarily  expecting  John  to 
come,  and  yet  keeping  up  such  a  light  heart." 

"  I  believe,  if  they  had  stayed  any  longer, 
they  would  have  told  us  everything,"  said 
Mrs.  Scott. 

Both  the  younger  women  were  silent. 
Kate  was  thinking  of  Falkner's  significant 


194  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

speech  as  they  neared  the  house  on  their  last 
walk ;  Josephine  was  recalling  the  remorse 
ful  picture  drawn  by  Lee,  which  she  knew 
was  his  own  portrait.  Suddenly  she  started. 

"  But  John  wiU  be  here  soon ;  what  are 
we  to  tell  him?  And  then  that  package 
and  that  letter." 

"  Don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  tell  him  anything 
at  present,  my  child,"  said  Mrs.  Scott  gently. 
"  It  is  unfortunate  this  Mr.  Thompson  called 
here,  but  we  are  not  obliged  to  understand 
what  he  says  now  about  John's  message,  or 
to  connect  our  visitors  with  his  story.  I  'm 
sure,  Kate,  I  should  have  treated  them  ex 
actly  as  we  did  if  they  had  come  without 
any  message  from  John ;  so  I  do  not  know 
why  we  should  lay  any  stress  on  that,  or 
even  speak  of  it.  The  simple  fact  is  that  we 
have  opened  our  house  to  two  strangers  in 
distress.  Your  husband,"  continued  Mr. 
Bale's  mother-in-law,  "does  not  require  to 
know  more.  As  to  the  letter  and  package, 
we  will  keep  that  for  further  consideration. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE' 8.  195 

It  cannot  be  of  much  importance,  or  they 
would  have  spoken  of  it  before ;  it  is  prob 
ably  some  trifling  present  as  a  return  for 
your  hospitality.  I  should  use  no  indecorous 
haste  in  having  it  opened." 

The  two  women  kissed  Mrs.  Scott  with  a 
feeling  of  relief,  and  fell  back  into  the  mo 
notony  of  their  household  duties.  It  is  to 
be  feared,  however,  that  the  absence  of  their 
outlawed  guests  was  nearly  as  dangerous  as 
their  presence  in  the  opportunity  it  afforded 
for  uninterrupted  and  imaginative  reflec 
tion.  Both  Kate  and  Josephine  were  at  first 
shocked  and  wounded  by  the  discovery  of  the 
real  character  of  the  two  men  with  whom  they 
had  associated  so  familiarly,  but  it  was  no 
disparagement  to  their  sense  of  propriety  to 
say  that  the  shock  did  not  last  long,  and  was 
accompanied  with  the  fascination  of  danger. 
This  was  succeeded  by  a  consciousness  of 
the  delicate  flattery  implied  in  their  indirect 
influence  over  the  men  who  had  undoubtedly 
risked  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  remaining 


196  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

with  them.  The  best  woman  is  not  above 
being  touched  by  the  effect  of  her  power 
over  the  worst  man,  and  Kate  at  first  allowed 
herself  to  think  of  Falkner  in  that  light. 
But  if  in  her  later  reflections  he  suffered 
as  a  heroic  experience  to  be  forgotten,  he 
gained  something  as  an  actual  man  to  be 
remembered.  Now  that  the  proposed  rides 
from  "  his  friend's  house  "  were  a  part  of  the 
illusion,  would  he  ever  dare  to  visit  them 
again  ?  Would  she  dare  to  see  him  ?  She 
held  her  breath  with  a  sudden  pain  of  part 
ing  that  was  new  to  her ;  she  tried  to  think 
of  something  else,  to  pick  up  the  scattered 
threads  of  her  life  before  that  eventful  day. 
But  in  vain ;  that  one  week  had  filled  the 
place  with  implacable  memories,  or  more 
terrible,  as  it  seemed  to  her  and  her  sister, 
they  had  both  lost  their  feeble,  alien  hold 
upon  Eagle's  Court  in  the  sudden  presence 
of  the  real  genii  of  these  solitudes,  and 
henceforth  they  alone  would  be  the  strangers 
there.  They  scarcely  dared  to  confess  it  to 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  197 

each  other,  but  this  return  to  the  dazzling 
sunlight  and  cloudless  skies  of  the  past  ap 
peared  to  them  to  be  the  one  unreal  experi 
ence  ;  they  had  never  known  the  true  wild 
flavor  of  their  home,  except  in  that  week  of 
delicious  isolation.  Without  breathing  it 
aloud,  they  longed  for  some  vague  denou- 
ment  to  this  experience  that  should  take 
them  from  Eagle's  Court  forever. 

It  was  noon  the  next  day  when  the  little 
household  beheld  the  last  shred  of  their  il 
lusion  vanish  like  the  melting  snow  in  the 
strong  sunlight  of  John  Hale's  return.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Colonel  Clinch  and 
Rawlins,  two  strangers  to  the  women.  Was 
it  fancy,  or  the  avenging  spirit  of  their 
absent  companions?  but  he  too  looked  a 
stranger,  and  as  the  little  cavalcade  wound 
its  way  up  the  slope  he  appeared  to  sit  his 
horse  and  wear  his  hat  with  a  certain  slouch 
and  absence  of  his  usual  restraint  that 
strangely  shocked  them.  Even  the  old  half- 
condescending,  half-punctilious  gallantry  of 


198  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

his  greeting  of  his  wife  and  family  was 
changed,  as  he  introduced  his  companions 
with  a  mingling  of  familiarity  and  shyness 
that  was  new  to  him.  Did  Mrs.  Hale  regret 
it,  or  feel  a  sense  of  relief  in  the  absence  of 
his  usual  seignorial  formality?  She  only 
knew  that  she  was  grateful  for  the  presence 
of  the  strangers,  which  for  the  moment  post 
poned  a  matrimonial  confidence  from  which 
she  shrunk. 

"  Proud  to  know  you,"  said  Colonel  Clinch, 
with  a  sudden  outbreak  of  the  antique  gal 
lantry  of  some  remote  Huguenot  ancestor. 
"  My  friend,  Judge  Hale,  must  be  a  regular 
Roman  citizen  to  leave  such  a  family  and 
such  a  house  at  the  call  of  public  duty.  Eh, 
Rawlins  ?  " 

"  You  bet,"  said  Rawlins,  looking  from 
Kate  to  her  sister  in  undisguised  admira 
tion. 

"  And  I  suppose  the  duty  could  not  have 
been  a  very  pleasant  one,"  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
timidly,  without  looking  at  her  husband. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  199 

"  Gad,  madam,  that 's  just  it,"  said  the  gal 
lant  Colonel,  seating  himself  with  a  comfort 
able  air,  and  an  easy,  though  by  no  means 
disrespectful,  familiarity.  "We  went  into 
this  fight  a  little  more  than  a  week  ago. 
The  only  scrimmage  we've  had  has  been 
with  the  detectives  that  were  on  the  robbers* 
track.  Ha!  ha!  The  best  people  we've 
met  have  been  the  friends  of  the  men  we 
were  huntin',  and  we  've  generally  come  to 
the  conclusion  to  vote  the  other  ticket !  Ez 
Judge  Hale  and  me  agreed  ez  we  came 
along,  the  two  men  ez  we  'd  most  like  to  see 
just  now  and  shake  hands  with  are  George 
Lee  and  Ned  Falkner." 

"  The  two  leaders  of  the  party  who  robbed 
the  coach,"  explained  Mr.  Hale,  with  a  slight 
return  of  his  usual  precision  of  statement. 

The  three  women  looked  at  each  other 
with  a  blaze  of  thanksgiving  in  their  grate 
ful  eyes.  Without  comprehending  all  that 
Colonel  Clinch  had  said,  they  understood 
enough  to  know  that  their  late  guests  were 


200  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

safe  from  the  pursuit  of  that  party,  and  that 
their  own  conduct  was  spared  criticism.  I 
hardly  dare  write  it,  but  they  instantly  as 
sumed  the  appearance  of  aggrieved  martyrs, 
and  felt  as  if  they  were  ! 

"  Yes,  ladies  !  "  continued  the  Colonel,  in 
spired  by  the  bright  eyes  fixed  upon  him. 
"  We  have  n't  taken  the  road  ourselves  yet, 
but  —  pohn  honor  —  we  would  n't  mind  do 
ing  it  in  a  case  like  this."  Then  with  the 
fluent,  but  somewhat  exaggerated,  phraseol 
ogy  of  a  man  trained  to  "  stump  "  speaking, 
he  gave  an  account  of  the  robbery  and  his 
own  connection  with  it.  He  spoke  of  the 
swindling  and  treachery  which  had  undoubt 
edly  provoked  Falkner  to  obtain  restitution 
of  his  property  by  an  overt  act  of  violence 
under  the  leadership  of  Lee.  He  added 
that  he  had  learned  since  at  Wild  Cat  Sta 
tion  that  Harkins  had  fled  the  country,  that 
a  suit  had  been  commenced  by  the  Excelsior 
Ditch  Company,  and  that  all  available  prop 
erty  of  Harkins  had  been  seized  by  the 
sheriff. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  201 

"  Of  course  it  can't  be  proved  yet,  but 
there  's  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  Lee,  who 
is  an  old  friend  of  Ned  Falkner's,  got  up 
that  job  to  help  him,  and  that  Ned  's  off  with 
the  money  by  this  time  —  and  I  'm  right  glad 
of  it.  I  can't  say  ez  we  've  done  much  to 
wards  it,  except  to  keep  tumbling  in  the  way 
of  that  detective  party  of  Stanner's,  and  so 
throw  them  off  the  trail  —  ha,  ha !  The 
Judge  here,  I  reckon,  has  had  his  share  of 
fun,  for  while  he  was  at  Hennicker's  trying 
to  get  some  facts  from  Hennicker's  pretty 
daughter,  Stanner  tried  to  get  up  some  sort 
of  vigilance  committee  of  the  stage  passen 
gers  to  burn  down  Hennicker's  ranch  out  of 
spite,  but  the  Judge  here  stepped  in  and 
stopped  that." 

"  It  was  really  a  high-handed  proceeding, 
Josephine,  but  I  managed  to  check  it,"  said 
Hale,  meeting  somewhat  consciously  the  first 
direct  look  his  wife  had  cast  upon  him,  and 
falling  back  for  support  on  his  old  manner. 
"  In  its  way,  I  think  it  was  worse  than  the 


202  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

robbery  by  Lee  and  Falkner,  for  it  was  done 
in  the  name  of  law  and  order ;  while,  as  far 
as  I  can  judge  from  the  facts,  the  affair  that 
we  were  following  up  was  simply  a  rude  and 
irregular  restitution  of  property  that  had 
been  morally  stolen." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  did  quite  right, 
though  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Hale  languidly ;  "  but  I  trust  these  gentle 
men  will  stay  to  luncheon,  and  in  the  mean 
time  excuse  us  for  running  away,  as  we  are 
short  of  servants,  and  Manuel  seems  to  have 
followed  the  example  of  the  head  of  the  house 
and  left  us,  in  pursuit  of  somebody  or  some 
thing." 

When  the  three  women  had  gained  the 
vantage-ground  of  the  drawing-room,  Kate 
said,  earnestly,  "  As  it 's  all  right,  had  n't  we 
better  tell  him  now  ?  " 

"  Decidedly  not,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Scott, 
imperatively.  "  Do  you  suppose  they  are  in 
a  hurry  to  tell  us  their  whole  story  ?  Who 
are  those  Hennicker  people  ?  and  they  were 
there  a  week  ago !  " 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  203 

"  And  did  you  notice  John's  hat  when  he 
came  in,  and  the  vulgar  familiarity  of  call 
ing  him  'Judge  '  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  Well,  certainly  anything  like  the  famil 
iarity  of  this  man  Clinch  /never  saw,"  said 
Kate.  "  Contrast  his  manner  with  Mr.  Falk- 
ner's." 

At  luncheon  the  three  suffering  martyrs 
finally  succeeded  in  reducing  Hale  and  his 
two  friends  to  an  attitude  of  vague  apology. 
But  their  triumph  was  short-lived.  At  the 
end  of  the  meal  they  were  startled  by  the 
trampling  of  hoofs  without,  followed  by  loud 
knocking.  In  another  moment  the  door  was 
opened,  and  Mr.  Stanner  strode  into  the 
room.  Hale  rose  with  a  look  of  indigna 
tion. 

"  I  thought,  as  Mr.  Stanner  understood 
that  I  had  no  desire  for  his  company  else 
where,  he  would  hardly  venture  to  intrude 
upon  me  in  my  house,  and  certainly  not 
after  "  — 

"  Ef  you  're   alluding  to   the  Vigilantes 


204  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

shakin'  you  and  Zeenie  up  at  Hennicker's, 
you  can't  make  me  responsible  for  that. 
I  'm  here  now  on  business  —  you  under 
stand  —  reg'lar  business.  Ef  you  want  to 
see  the  papers  yer  ken.  I  suppose  you  know 
what  a  warrant  is  ?  " 

"  I  know  what  you  are,"  said  Hale  hotly ; 
"  and  if  you  don't  leave  my  house  "  — 

"  Steady,  boys,"  interrupted  Stanner,  as  his 
five  henchmen  filed  into  the  hall.  "  There 's 
no  backin'  down  here,  Colonel  Clinch,  unless 
you  and  Hale  kalkilate  to  back  down  the 
State  of  Californy !  The  matter  stands  like 
this.  There 's  a  half-breed  Mexican,  called 
Manuel,  arrested  over  at  the  Summit,  who 
swears  he  saw  George  Lee  and  Edward  Falk- 
ner  in  this  house  the  night  after  the  robbery. 
He  says  that  they  were  makin'  themselves  at 
home  here,  as  if  they  were  among  friends, 
and  considerin'  the  kind  of  help  we  've  had 
from  Mr.  John  Hale,  it  looks  ez  if  it  might 
be  true." 

"  It  's  an  infamous  lie !  "  said  Hale. 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  205 

"  It  may  be  true,  John,"  said  Mrs.  Scott, 
suddenly  stepping  in  front  of  her  pale- 
cheeked  daughters.  "  A  wounded  man  was 
brought  here  out  of  the  storin  by  his  friend, 
who  claimed  the  shelter  of  your  roof.  As 
your  mother  I  should  have  been  unworthy 
to  stay  beneath  it  and  have  denied  that 
shelter  or  withheld  it  until  I  knew  his  name 
and  what  he  was.  He  stayed  here  until  he 
could  be  removed.  He  left  a  letter  for  you. 
It  will  probably  tell  you  if  he  was  the  man 
this  person  is  seeking." 

"  Thank  you,  mother,"  said  Hale,  lifting 
her  hand  to  his  lips  quietly ;  "  and  perhaps 
you  will  kindly  tell  these  gentlemen  that,  as 
your  son  does  not  care  to  know  who  or  what 
the  stranger  was,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
opening  the  letter,  or  keeping  Mr.  Stanner  a 
moment  longer." 

"  But  you  will  oblige  me,  John,  by  opening 
it  before  these  gentlemen,"  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
recovering  her  voice  and  color.  "  Please  to 
follow  me,"  she  said,  preceding  them  to  the 
staircase. 


206  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

They  entered  Mr.  Hale's  room,  now  re 
stored  to  its  original  condition.  On  the 
table  lay  a  letter  and  a  small  package.  The 
eyes  of  Mr.  Stanner,  a  little  abashed  by  the 
attitude  of  the  two  women,  fastened  upon  it 
and  glistened. 

Josephine  handed  her  husband  the  let 
ter.  He  opened  it  in  breathless  silence  and 
read  — 

"  JOHN  HALE, 

"  We  owe  you  no  return  for  voluntarily 
making  yourself  a  champion  of  justice  and 
pursuing  us,  except  it  was  to  offer  you  a  fair 
field  and  no  favor.  We  did  n't  get  that 
much  from  you,  but  accident  brought  us  into 
your  house  and  into  your  family,  where  we 
did  get  it,  and  were  fairly  vanquished.  To 
the  victors  belong  the  spoils.  We  leave  the 
package  of  greenbacks  which  we  took  from 
Colonel  Clinch  in  the  Sierra  coach,  but 
which  was  first  stolen  by  H'arkins  from 
forty -four  shareholders  of  the  Excelsior 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  207 

Ditch.  We  have  no  right  to  say  what  you 
should  do  with  it,  but  if  you  are  n't  tired  of 
following  the  same  line  of  justice  that  in 
duced  you  to  run  after  us,  you  will  try  to 
restore  it  to  its  rightful  owners. 

"  We  leave  you  another  trifle  as  an  evi 
dence  that  our  intrusion  into  your  affairs 
was  not  without  some  service  to  you,  even 
if  the  service  was  as  accidental  as  the  intru 
sion.  You  will  find  a  pair  of  boots  in  the 
corner  of  your  closet.  They  were  taken 
from  the  burglarious  feet  of  Manuel,  your 
peon,  who,  believing  the  three  ladies  were 
alone  and  at  his  mercy,  entered  your  house 
with  an  accomplice  at  two  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  21st,  and  was  kicked  out  by 

"  Your  obedient  servants, 

"  GEORGE  LEE  &  EDWARD  FALKNER." 

Hale's  voice  and  color  changed  on  reading 
this  last  paragraph.  He  turned  quickly  to 
wards  his  wife  ;  Kate  flew  to  the  closet,  where 
the  muffled  boots  of  Manuel  confronted 


208  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE' to. 

them.  "  We  never  knew  it.  I  always  sus 
pected  something  that  night,"  said  Mrs.  Hale 
and  Mrs.  Scott  in  the  same  breath. 

"  That  's  all  very  well,  and  like  George 
Lee's  high  falutin',"  said  Stanner,  approach 
ing  the  table,  "  but  as  long  ez  the  greenbacks 
are  here  he  can  make  what  capital  he  likes 
outer  Manuel.  I  '11  trouble  you  to  pass  over 
that  package." 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Hale,  "  but  I  believe 
this  is  the  package  taken  from  Colonel 
Clinch.  Is  it  not  ?  "  he  added,  appealing  to 
the  Colonel. 

"  It  is,"  said  Clinch. 

"  Then  take  it,"  said  Hale,  handing  him 
the  package.  "  The  first  restitution  is  to  you, 
but  I  believe  you  will  fulfil  Lee's  instruc 
tions  as  well  as  myself." 

"  But,"  said  Stanner,  furiously  interpos 
ing,  "  I  've  a  warrant  to  seize  that  wherever 
found,  and  I  dare  you  to  disobey  the  law." 

"Mr.  Stanner,"  said  Clinch,  slowly,  "  there 
are  ladies  present.  If  you  insist  upon  hav- 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  209 

ing  that  package  I  must  ask  them  to  with 
draw,  and  I  'm  afraid  you  '11  find  me  better 
prepared  to  resist  a  second  robbery  than  I 
was  the  first.  Your  warrant,  which  was 
taken  out  by  the  Express  Company,  is  sup 
planted  by  civil  proceedings  taken  the  day 
before  yesterday  against  the  property  of 
the  fugitive  swindler  Harkins  !  You  should 
have  consulted  the  sheriff  before  you  came 
here." 

Stanner  saw  his  mistake.  But  in  the 
faces  of  his  grinning  followers  he  was 
obliged  to  keep  up  his  bluster.  "  You 
shall  hear  from  me  again,  sir,"  he  said, 
turning  on  his  heel. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Clinch  grimly, 
"  but  do  I  understand  that  at  last  I  am  to 
have  the  honor  "  — 

"  You  shall  hear  from  the  Company's  law 
yers,  sir,"  said  Stanner,  turning  red,  and 
noisily  leaving  the  room. 

"  And  so,  my  dear  ladies,"  said  Colonel 
Clinch,  "  you  have  spent  a  week  with  a  high- 


210  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

wayman.  I  say  a  highwayman,  for  it  would 
be  hard  to  call  my  young  friend  Falkner  by 
that  name  for  his  first  offence,  committed 
under  great  provocation,  and  undoubtedly 
instigated  by  Lee,  who  was  an  old  friend  of 
his,  and  to  whom  he  came,  no  doubt,  in  des 
peration." 

Kate  stole  a  triumphant  glance  at  her  sis 
ter,  whc  dropped  her  lids  over  her  glistening 
eyes.  "  And  this  Mr.  Lee,"  she  continued 
more  gently,  "  is  he  really  a  highwayman  ?  " 

"  George  Lee,"  said  Clinch,  settling  him 
self  back  oratorically  in  his  chair,  "  my  dear 
young  lady,  is  a  highwayman,  but  not  of 
the  common  sort.  He  is  a  gentleman  born, 
madam,  comes  from  one  of  the  oldest  fami 
lies  of  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland.  He 
never  mixes  himself  up  with  anything  but 
some  of  the  biggest  strikes,  and  he 's  an 
educated  man.  He  is  very  popular  with  la 
dies  and  children ;  he  was  never  known  to 
do  or  say  anything  that  could  bring  a  blush 
to  the  cheek  of  beauty  or  a  tear  to  the  eye 


8NOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  211 

of  innocence.  I  think  I  may  say  I  'm  sure 
you  found  him  so." 

"  I  shall  never  believe  him  anything  but 
a  gentleman,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  firmly. 

"  If  he  has  a  defect,  it  is  perhaps  a  too 
reckless  indulgence  in  draw  poker,"  said  the 
Colonel,  musingly  ;  "  not  unbecoming  a  gen 
tleman,  understand  me,  Mrs.  Scott,  but  per 
haps  too  reckless  for  his  own  good.  George 
played  a  grand  game,  a  glittering  game,  but 
pardon  me  if  I  say  an  uncertain  game.  I  've 
told  him  so ;  it 's  the  only  point  on  which 
we  ever  differed." 

"  Then  you  know  him  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Hale, 
lifting  her  soft  eyes  to  the  Colonel. 

"  I  have  that  honor." 

"Did  his  appearance,  Josephine,"  broke 
in  Hale,  somewhat  ostentatiously,  "appear 
to  —  er  —  er  —  correspond  with  these  quali 
ties  ?  You  know  what  I  mean/' 

"He  certainly  seemed  very  simple  and 
natural,"  said  Mrs.  Hale,  slightly  drawing 
her  pretty  lips  together.  "  He  did  not  wear 


212  SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S. 

his  trousers  rolled  up  over  his  boots  in  the 
company  of  ladies,  as  you  're  doing  now,  nor 
did  he  make  his  first  appearance  in  this 
house  with  such  a  hat  as  you  wore  this  morn 
ing,  or  I  should  not  have  admitted  him." 

There  were  a  few  moments  of  embarrass 
ing  silence. 

"  Do  you  intend  to  give  that  package  to 
Mr.  Falkner  yourself,  Colonel?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Scott. 

"I  shall  hand  it  over  to  the  Excelsior 
Company,"  said  the  Colonel,  "but  I  shall 
inform  Ned  of  what  I  have  done." 

"  Then,"  said  Mrs.  Scott,  "  will  you  kindly 
take  a  message  from  us  to  him  ? " 

"  If  you  wish  it." 

"  You  will  be  doing  me  a  great  favor,  Colo 
nel,"  said  Hale,  politely. 

Whatever  the  message  was,  six  months 
later  it  brought  Edward  Falkner,  the  rees 
tablished  superintendent  of  the  Excelsior 
Ditch,  to  Eagle's  Court.  As  he  and  Kate 


SNOW-BOUND  AT  EAGLE'S.  213 

stood  again  on  the  plateau,  looking  towards 
the  distant  slopes  once  more  green  with  ver 
dure,  Falkner  said  — 

"  Everything  here  looks  as  it  did  the  first 
day  I  saw  it,  except  your  sister." 

"  The  place  does  not  agree  with  her,"  said 
Kate  hurriedly.  "  That  is  why  my  brother 
thinks  of  leaving  it  before  the  winter  sets 
in." 

"  It  seems  so  sad,"  said  Falkner,  "for  the 
last  words  poor  George  said  to  me,  as  he 
left  to  join  his  cousin's  corps  at  Kichmond, 
were :  '  If  I  'm  not  killed,  Ned,  I  hope  some 
day  to  stand  again  beside  Mrs.  Hale,  at  the 
window  in  Eagle's  Court,  and  watch  you  and 
Kate  coming  home  ! ' ' 


THE  END. 


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